VC Radio
Voice Coaches Radio #512 – 3…2…1…Happy New Year!!
Voice Coaches Radio. Everything voiceover. And welcome to this week's edition of Voice Coaches Radio. I am Josh Eller, she's Marissa Lanshack, and we, as always, are delighted to have you joining us. Marissa, I'm delighted to have you joining me. How we doing? Yeah, well, fantastic. I love that cup that you have over there.
Oh, it's super sweet, isn't it? Super sweet. Yeah, it's a beautiful mug. It is a wonderful mug. Whoever gave you that, I mean, they are stellar. I agree. I agree. It says speak up. Although, the color is very... Orange. Yeah. It's very orange. Hey. Um, it's very orange. I think they wanted it to stand out, you know, and also maybe match the room that you're in currently.
I mean, that, it does actually. Yeah. It does. I could get lost, uh, against the wall. Uh, that would be, that could definitely happen. It blends in. It does. It does with the wall. Whoa, now I'm loud, man. We're just talking, like, my levels in this. I know, the levels are a little weird today. They are a little off.
It's alright. So am I. I'm alright. Happy Friday. Happy Friday! Um, and Happy New Year. Almost. Um, it is almost New Year. That's true. It is, uh, it is New Year's. Tonight, if you're listening to this on the day it's dropped, um, it's not New Year's currently. I will take you a peek behind the curtain. It's not New Year's yet, but, uh, this is the New Year's episode of Voice Coaching.
I should try to, I, I shouldn't say that kind of stuff, right? I should, I should make the magic feel real. See it on the mic, dude. Come on. Like, we are here doing this live, New Year's Eve, right? And, um. No days off! No days off. None. No days off. Um, so, uh, it, it's, I was gonna say we should ring in the New Year, though I don't, I think I want to be here at midnight, but, uh, you know, we have, um, Uh, for my son because he can't stay up till midnight and if he does, good lord, that would be a nightmare.
Uh, cause he's, he's five. Yeah. So they, they have this thing at, well, so we do, we've done this one thing and we'll probably do this again, uh, on Netflix or something like that. They have like some of the cartoons or some of the movies like the, um, the Madagascar peoples. Have you ever seen those? And like, uh, a few other ones that are like.
Characters from, you know, cartoon movies that he likes, and they actually have, like, a little, like, five minute New Year's. episode, and at the end they count down and celebrate, you know, have a little dance party at the end. And we'll do that, not at midnight. Oh my god, I love a good dance party! Right? But that's, that way, like, it's, you know, uh, you can kind of feel the way.
But I, I read about this one thing, I think it was in Highlights Magazine, because yes, it is Highlights Magazine. Of course. Um, actually, they have three versions of Highlights Magazine stuff. Really? Yeah. They have a very little kid version, which is called... Hello. Is there one made specifically for doctor's offices?
Well, you think so, right? Uh, they have the, the, the toddler version, which is called high five. And he just graduated just this year to the, to the, uh, uh, adult highlights version. Um, yeah, well, the normal one, the one that you're used to saying, uh, the highlights, but they had this thing in there and it's called, um, it's called happy noon year.
Yeah. And what they do is, is, you know, all the kiddos get together and they count down. to, to 12, but to noon, and that, and then, and then party. Which is really what we all should do, because who can stay up till midnight at this point? I gotta be honest, like, like, New Year's Eve, it's, it is by far, in my estimation, the most anticlimactic holiday.
Like, it's like, you wanna stay up till midnight? Like, I guess, like... I guess, but 12. 01, I'm going right to bed. And that's just it, like, it's like, it's like, can, can, can I be in bed? Like, when we count down the close, that's where I wanna be. And then, you know, Hey, Happy New Year. Great. Here's a smooch. I'm going to sleep.
Like, that's it. Like, that's the whole thing. Like, whoa, very exciting. Not really. And like, you know, New Year's, Rockin Eve, or whatever it is, I don't watch that, that stuff. Because I don't care. And the musicians on there, I don't want to listen to anyways. Um, can you imagine, who in their right mind, and if you're one of those people who, who, who do, it's not you, because I know you're not, is wrong with people?
And if you're listening and you do that, God love you, but. There are people that stand in the same spot for hours, like eight, ten hours, and they just wet their pants. And for what? I don't know. Like, what's the payoff? It's freezing, first of all, because you're in New York. I don't know, how, how exhausted you must be.
So, in, in Boston, when I was younger, they had this thing, they probably still do, it's called First Night. Yes, they do, yep. Or, and, and that's their version of, of that, and, um, my sister, uh, she used to do a lot of choirs and stuff like that, they were performing down there, so, you know, my, uh, I, I don't know how old I was, like 10 or 12 or something like that, so I went, went down with my, with my dad and we saw my sister perform, which was nice, whatever, and there were like ice sculptures and stuff like that, that was cool.
Do you know where we celebrated the, uh, uh, the, the, the, the actual New Year happening? Where is that? On the T, underground. Oh my god. When our T was stuck. Was it the red line? The red line's always stuck. I think it was the green line. I think it was when the green line went underground. The red line's the one that would always go by my apartment.
I'm like, oh, it's broke again, because it was like just stuck right in front of my apartment. Which red line were you on? Because it split out to like Braintree and uh... Yeah, it was Braintree, Quincy area. Um, and I just remember, because like I, I had a really good view. It was like right across the street. Uh, so there's like a little parking lot and then the, the t track.
Braintree was the place where you had to pay to get off. Oh really? Yeah, you had to pay to get on it. I always heard horror stories. It was so far down, you had to pay to get off. It's like, uh, this is not great. This is not great. Love Braintree though. Best moment. There is a, uh, there is a, if you go to the Braintree, all the way down to the Braintree, uh, uh, stop, there is...
Is it the Braintree one, or maybe it's the Quincy one, I can't remember. It's one of the end ones, and um, there's a, there's a Bickfords, right when you get off. Are you familiar with the Bickfords? No. Because my wife is not familiar with the Bickfords. It's like an IHOP. Uh, it used to be like, Bickfords, breakfast, anytime.
Oh, there is an IHOP right by that one though, I think. No, it was definitely the Bickfords, and I can tell you why I know this. Because I was in uh, Air Force ROTC when I was in college, and we had a uh, a little thing before. Uh, the, the year started, and it was, uh, I went to Northeastern, it was Northeastern, Boston University, Boston College, um, Uh, Bridgewater State and Tufts, I think.
So, like, if you were doing Air Force ROTC, you did, you were in that, you know, detachment. And so, we all got together before the school year started. Now, the BU kids, uh, moved in before we did. And so, we, you know, who didn't go there had some time off. And we took the red line down to, to the end and went to Bickford's.
And Super Troopers had come out fairly recently before that. Um, and... You've never seen Super Troopers have you? Nah. Okay, so there's one part in it where they literally are chugging, uh, maple syrup for reasons unknown. And so we, as dumb 18 year old kids, decided to do that. Now, the thing you need to know about Bickford's different than IHOP.
IHOP has those little, you know, you get like the four different flavors of Yeah, right on the table. Yeah, so Bickford's doesn't do that, or didn't at least. They would have little, almost like shot glasses worth of, uh, Uh, maple syrup, but not just maple syrup, hot maple syrup. Ooh. Which by the way is Oh, that doesn't sound good.
Well, okay. Well, first of all, on pancakes, ugh. Oh, right. On pancakes. So delicious. Yeah, but just straight into your belly. Yeah. So we started doing shots of that and then creating a tower of our empties until we were kicked out. Yeah. Um, and, and here's the thing you need to know about hot maple syrup. Uh, it coats the inside of your mouth.
immediately. And you can like literally have this like gelatinous goo going down. Yeah, it wasn't great. It wasn't a great idea. I was not the smartest kid in the world. Um, so yeah, there you go. There you go. And, and many of those kids I did that with are now, you know, high ranking members of the Air Force.
Oh my goodness. So yeah. It's time to be alive. Detachment 355, Flying Tigers, death from above. Hoorah! Hoorah! Um, anyway, uh, it is New Year's. And on every New Year's, I mean, I talked about this last year when I was by myself before you came into my life and made it so much better. Um, and uh, you know, we talked about how New Year's resolutions, I mean, they're great, I like them, but...
They're kind of useless. I don't know about you, but I make goals for myself all the time. And you should. And not, not just like, oh, it's the new year, I gotta have a new me, uh, you know, kind of way. But that doesn't, it never lasts. And they're literally, and I remember if you go back, uh, almost a year ago now, I have specific episodes on specific days in the month of January, because it's like, I think it's three weeks after New Year's.
That's when the overwhelming majority of resolutions fail, and there's a name for it. Um, and I think it's called something like failure day or something, I gotta figure out It is, I think, you're right. It's called Quitter's Day. Quitter's Day, yeah. And I recorded it on January 22nd, so it's the third week of January.
Well, you know this as somebody that goes to the gym, like, everybody's there that first week, right? Everybody and their dog. Uh, and then it's like a couple weeks in, it's like, oh, they all start trickling out. It's just like survive the first few weeks of people. Look, I'm still here. Uh, so yeah, I totally, yeah, I know that's a thing.
You know, I, I, so I'm, I'm not a huge, you know, resolution fan. And I think I said it last year, like. Don't, I mean, if you want to do something, do it. Why are you waiting until the, you know, to the 30th? But we're here. I mean, it's, we are here. So, okay. Uh, if we're going to make resolutions now, I guess is the time.
Um, so let's do it. Let's make some resolutions. now?
Again, you know, we could talk about what your resolutions were last year. Your life was very different. Oh my god, my life was so different last year. I, you know, I've actually been saying this to students lately where it's like, if anybody had told me where 2021 was going to take me, Like, in the heart of 2020, I would have probably laughed hysterically and then cried a little bit.
Because, honestly... I have that, I have that effect on people. Well, I mean, part of it is the beauty of being here at Voice Coaches, but, you know, and then it was just like everything else that started coming my way. I mean, seriously, in the, in the heart of 2020, even near like, you know, the fall of it, I honestly, it seemed like I lost everything.
I'm sorry, but when you say the fall of 2020, I mean, it's the fall. Yeah, it's not like this. We're not talking about the season. We're talking about the fall of the fall of 2020. Yeah, it felt that way. All of 2020 felt that way. No, and it did for everybody, but like for me, like I literally started the year where I was about to be on three different radio stations, two in Boston, one in Hartford.
I was moving, like I had all these, this prosperous stuff about to happen. And you know, it hit me like that job, that full time job I was offered was March 3rd of 2020. And everything just like died and shut down 10 days later. And you know, everything fell apart. And I literally went from being very successful to.
I am now 13 years old again living in my childhood bedroom, surrounded by my dad's collectibles, playing basketball every day, just trying to make through every single day and figure out what the heck is going to be next. So now you've got me here, and I'm on four different radio stations in four states.
I'm, you know, loving my time here at Voice Coaches. I started dabbling in audiobooks, like I do commercials for a station here locally, like I'm doing a whole bunch of stuff that I never ever would have expected last year. What do I, what are my goals in 2022? Yes, it's all because I met Josh Heller. That's what I do.
What I do. My biggest goal is to keep you on the podcast. In some kind of way. Zoom is a beautiful thing. I'm just throwing it out there. So even if you can't physically be here, I mean, there's definitely ways for us to make that happen. I mean, I definitely want to keep people abreast of what I'm doing.
Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. still doing voiceover. So I feel like now it's like, how do I tackle this while doing something completely new around it? And that's the thing. And I've told people this, you know, and, and, and I, and I say this in all, in all honesty, um, you know, I joke with people that it takes time after you get your demo before that, that first job.
And that can be a frustrating time. And a lot of people don't make it through that time. They quit before then. Um, and I tell people this, and this is a hundred percent true. If I didn't work here, I would have been one of those people. I would have quit. A hundred percent of the time. And the reason why I didn't is because I walked into a studio every day, and I talked to people about doing this every day, and it's like, well, it can take time, you gotta be patient.
You're motivating them, which in turn motivates you. Yeah, I'm thinking to myself, like, idiot, do these things. And so that was keeping, because it was, you know, but for a lot of people, it's out of sight, out of mind, and that makes it easier to walk away from. So I had the luxury of being here. And, you know, having this in my face all the time.
And one of my main goals is to not let that slip. Not, you know, back off. Did I do as much as I wanted to do this year? No, no, probably not. But, I mean, I have my first... Big audio book this year. I mean, I had six audio books. I did this year. That's awesome. Very in degrees Including my biggest one and I finally hit that that goal that I that I've told people for years that I've wanted to do and That's to take my family on vacation with only money that I made From my voice acting and I was finally able to do that and I don't want to take a step backwards Yeah, that's my goal is to not take a step backwards to keep doing what I'm doing.
Yeah and building upon that and You know, and, and, it's gonna be a new reality for me, it's gonna be different, certainly, and I'm not gonna have that in my face, but at this point I do have a place to record at home, um, and I just need the, the mental wherewithal to, uh, to, to keep pushing it. It's just wrapping your head around a new schedule and, and, Well, and, yeah, and that's, that's gonna be it, it's gonna take, I'm not saying I'm gonna, you know, There's an adjustment period.
It is. And I don't want to have a, a, you know, a huge project, you know, a huge audio project happening in my first couple of weeks of my new job. Right. I don't. I want, I'm going to give myself a couple of weeks of, all right, no more auditions, no more, you know, marketing just for a couple of weeks. Just get everything, get into a rhythm.
And then once that rhythm hits, you know, then, because I mean, I'm going to be working banker's hours. Eight to four, eight to four is my schedule. Well, there you go. Every day. But that gives you a lot of time after four, you know. So that's good. And that's and that's one of the reasons why I wanted that because let's be honest I'm not recording before 8 o'clock.
Yeah, I'm not doing very much of anything before 8 o'clock in the morning And that's for the best for all of us But yeah I mean that's and that's one of the reasons why I wanted that so I can still be able to to do this because one Of the nice things at least as far as I'm concerned with with the new job that I'm taking in and I think I've told Everyone I'm working for the state is that you know Hopefully be able to retire at some point.
There's a nice retirement, you know, uh, idea. Um, and, retire at some decent age and continue to do this. That's the idea. That's, that's 100% the idea. If I'm retiring and I'm not doing any voiceover, that's not a, not okay. That's not okay. No, I think when you're in this industry too, like, it's always in your blood.
Like, you have to kinda... You have to do it. Otherwise, it's like there's a part of you missing, at least in my case. And that, no, I'm 100% with you. So I had the sports aspect of it. And you know, when I lost that, I was away from, from that for about six months. And even when I started working here before I started actually doing voiceover work, I was working here and teaching here and producing here.
But you know, getting to do that has absolutely You know, uh, uh, filled that void and I, and, and I'm, I'm going to need some kind of creative outlet, Yeah, when, when you're, when you're in this field, I feel like that. That proves you are a creative human and creative humans always need an outlet, always, for that creativity.
Otherwise you feel off, like your world doesn't feel complete. So, I totally get that. It's too boring. It is, it's too boring. Um, so that's, I mean, that's probably the biggest of my, um, you know, my, my things, is that next year at this time, to say that, yeah, no, I, I, Continued moving forward. Now, how many big strides did I make?
I don't know. I don't know, but continue to, to, to continue to go down the track that I'm on, um, which at the moment is a positive one. Yeah, for sure. Hopefully remains to be the case. Um, and so that, that's my goal. Not to let that, not to, not to take a step backwards. Not to take a step backwards from that.
And if I can sit here a year from now and talk to you guys a year from now. And I'd be happy to do that. Yeah, you better, because I'm going to force it to you anyway. I can tell you how things are going, uh, you know, hopefully it's, uh, it's that, yeah, no, I've, I've continued to do that. And, uh, you know, you know, who knows?
Who knows from there? But, uh, but yeah, certainly that's, that's, uh, that's something. So it's been, I think it's, it's been a good year. It's been a weird year. It's been a weird year. I will agree with that. It's been pretty positive. For many people, it's been a tough year. And, you know, obviously. Uh, we don't take that lightly.
It's been a tough couple years for, for a lot of people, for lots of reasons, and this past year was no different, but, you know, take the positives you can out of it. And I think for, for, for both of us, as far as voiceover is concerned, there have been absolutely positives. And I hope, you know, for those of you listening in, there have been as well, and I'd love to hear from you guys to see how things have gone in the past year.
Obviously, it's been a trying year at times, um, but. You know, what can we get out of it? What can we do? And have we been able to continue to push and continue to, uh, continue to strive and continue to try. Because the best thing that we can do for our own mental health is to focus more on the blessings that come our way.
Even the smallest things. Because honestly, like, the moment that we start focusing more on those, we start noticing them more. You know, we're, we're very trained in a lot of ways. to focus on the negative. I mean, look at the media. Like whenever you turn on the news, it's all nothing but negative. So our brains are trained in that way.
So that's what happens every single day. But if we start looking at even just the smallest little positive thing, you know, somebody got me coffee this morning, you know, that that can change your entire outlook. I didn't do that. No, I know. But my point is like little things like that. They can be a complete game changer when we start focusing on them.
My wife does this, my son now does this, he has a gratitude journal. Oh, awesome. That he fills out, like a little kid's gratitude journal that he fills out every night. Um, well, most nights. And, uh, and we try to, you know, to focus on those things. Cause we do have, I mean, so much to be thankful for. Um. you know, at this point in our lives.
And so we want to, you know, make sure that he knows that and appreciates that fact. Because it's hard, especially as a kid. Yeah. It's extremely hard, especially as a kid this time of year. Are you kidding me? Like, are you happy for the gifts you got? Yeah, but I want more. Like, of course you do. I'm aware of that.
Don't say that, but I get it. Like, I was a kid at one time, many, many, many, many, many moons ago. Um, I get it. Right. And so I think we're all that way, but, you know, try to, uh, try to appreciate those, those things. And, um, And I think, yeah, I think you're right. I think that is, that is helpful. That is, that is definitely, uh, definitely something that's necessary.
For all of us. 100%, my man. 100%. And I am, I am, I, I, I, like I said, it's been awesome. Working with you since let's see. When is your first episode? Probably March, but I got here in February So yep, Marissa intro was March 19th episode 471. Oh, that's right. Cuz episode 472 was asthma And and so it's I'm known for right?
Yeah. Hey, listen, take what you can get take what you can get So it's been about oh, I don't know what 30, 40 episodes, 30 episodes or so? Probably too many. Yeah. Sorry, but I'm sticking around. Listen, listen. No, and, and, and, and, I mean, I don't know, this isn't my last, uh, uh, you know, episode before I leave, but it's, it's one of them, but you're going to do amazing.
I'm not worried in one bit, one bit. Thanks. You have so much confidence in me. I do. I do. First of all, you have like 17 podcasts that you already do. Um, so I mean, it's not exactly a, I do do a lot of stuff and I do talk to myself a lot in a room. You know, uh, by my, by myself, so, uh, it's, it's normal. Well, you have, like, three animals bouncing around, so you can just say you're talking to them.
That's what I do. Like, I'll talk to myself, and my cat will walk by and be like, Yeah, I was talking to, uh, It's fine. Yeah, it's fine. That's all I was talking to. Don't worry. Now, when they start to talk back, that's when things... might need to take a step back. Yeah. Potentially. Potentially. But, um, but cool. And so, and, and, again, like I said, for, for all those listening, I'd love to hear how your year has been, how you have been able to, to reach your, your goals that you have set for yourself, or if you haven't, and that's okay, because now's the time to kind of reevaluate those things, and, you know, I'd love to say that, you know, every one of, of our, of our, you know, resolutions or goals, we're, we're all gonna hit them by next year.
That's not gonna happen. That's okay. That's okay, but and I do think that's you know New Year's resolutions as weird as they are and I think we can can and should do them at any point We don't have to wait till New Year's It is a good time to kind of take stock of What's happened and what you want to happen and how you're gonna make that happen and hopefully we can be a part of that Hopefully we can help you to do that at least in voice acting Um, anything else?
I don't know. You're on your own. You're on your own. Let's do it. Uh, so that's, that's the goal. But I'd love to hear from you guys. Good gains in the new year. Come on. That's right. Mad gains. Mad gains. Mad gains, yo. Um, uh, JoshAtVoiceCoaches. com, that's the way to get in touch with me, at least for a little while longer.
Uh, I don't know, maybe you'll take that, that email thing. Hey, just call me Josh, you know? You can have it. Um, but uh, that's, uh, that's my email. I'm still around. You haven't gotten rid of me just yet. Don't worry. Don't worry. But JoshAtVoiceCoaches. com, let me know what you guys are up to. Love to hear it.
Thank you so, so much, everyone, for listening in all year long. Uh, it has been 52 awesome weeks of, uh, of talking to you guys and, um, and, and hearing from you guys and, and being a part of this. Like I said, I'm not done just yet, but, uh, I certainly am getting, uh... A little bit. Uh, shut up. Whatever. It's fine.
Happy moment. Are you, are you getting misty? Hi. No, you, oh my God, you are. Shut up. It's somebody. Get him a tissue shut. It's, no, it's dusty. It got, uh, there was cleaning in here. Don't tell Laura that she cleaned in here before we got in. Did somebody grab him a tissue? It's fine. It's fine, guys. Whatever.
Whatever. I don't hate you guys. I hate you. Hate all. No. Um, no. But you guys, I, I, again, uh, you know, I always joke that it's not just our show, it's your show too, but it is. I mean, it's, it's all of the listeners. So thank you so much for those of you who have tuned in all year long. We love to have you listening in and thank you so much for that.
Um, and again, everyone, happy, healthy, safe new year. Make some good memories. Keep being safe. That's right. And it's going to be a big 2022. It's going to be a big 2022. Don't think that it's just 2020 with a two T O O next to it because that's depressing. No, we're going to make it big. 2022 is gonna be a good year, guys.
It's gonna be a good year. Uh, so, so again, wishing all the best to, uh, to all of you this upcoming year. And, um, oh, we got a, uh, uh, next week we'll hear from, uh, from Laura Graver who came back to, uh, voice coaches. She left and was gone for about a year and a half and came back, oh, maybe a little bit of just like Josh will do a little bit of a harger.
What's gonna happen to me? Who knows who's little foreshadowing y'all? There we go. And, uh, so we'll hear from her. And, uh, and, uh, again, if you have anything you wanna chime in with, please do so. Josh voice coaches.com. That's the way to do that, Marissa. Very Happy New Year to you, my friend! And, uh, are you ready so we can do the countdown?
Ready? Ready? 3, 2, 1! Happy
New Year! I don't know if you can do that legally. Oh, that's, seriously? That's, okay, that's copyrighted. I don't know. Maybe not. Copyright. Uh, happy birthday. No, no, no. That's royalties. That's okay now. No, it's not. Yeah, it is. It's in the public domain now. Okay. It is. You can do that. You can do that. Anyway, uh, happy new year, everyone.
We'll talk to you next week. Marissa, happy new year to you as well. We'll talk to you next week. And until next time, so long, everyone. Visit voicecoaches. com for more voiceover news and information.
Oh, it's super sweet, isn't it? Super sweet. Yeah, it's a beautiful mug. It is a wonderful mug. Whoever gave you that, I mean, they are stellar. I agree. I agree. It says speak up. Although, the color is very... Orange. Yeah. It's very orange. Hey. Um, it's very orange. I think they wanted it to stand out, you know, and also maybe match the room that you're in currently.
I mean, that, it does actually. Yeah. It does. I could get lost, uh, against the wall. Uh, that would be, that could definitely happen. It blends in. It does. It does with the wall. Whoa, now I'm loud, man. We're just talking, like, my levels in this. I know, the levels are a little weird today. They are a little off.
It's alright. So am I. I'm alright. Happy Friday. Happy Friday! Um, and Happy New Year. Almost. Um, it is almost New Year. That's true. It is, uh, it is New Year's. Tonight, if you're listening to this on the day it's dropped, um, it's not New Year's currently. I will take you a peek behind the curtain. It's not New Year's yet, but, uh, this is the New Year's episode of Voice Coaching.
I should try to, I, I shouldn't say that kind of stuff, right? I should, I should make the magic feel real. See it on the mic, dude. Come on. Like, we are here doing this live, New Year's Eve, right? And, um. No days off! No days off. None. No days off. Um, so, uh, it, it's, I was gonna say we should ring in the New Year, though I don't, I think I want to be here at midnight, but, uh, you know, we have, um, Uh, for my son because he can't stay up till midnight and if he does, good lord, that would be a nightmare.
Uh, cause he's, he's five. Yeah. So they, they have this thing at, well, so we do, we've done this one thing and we'll probably do this again, uh, on Netflix or something like that. They have like some of the cartoons or some of the movies like the, um, the Madagascar peoples. Have you ever seen those? And like, uh, a few other ones that are like.
Characters from, you know, cartoon movies that he likes, and they actually have, like, a little, like, five minute New Year's. episode, and at the end they count down and celebrate, you know, have a little dance party at the end. And we'll do that, not at midnight. Oh my god, I love a good dance party! Right? But that's, that way, like, it's, you know, uh, you can kind of feel the way.
But I, I read about this one thing, I think it was in Highlights Magazine, because yes, it is Highlights Magazine. Of course. Um, actually, they have three versions of Highlights Magazine stuff. Really? Yeah. They have a very little kid version, which is called... Hello. Is there one made specifically for doctor's offices?
Well, you think so, right? Uh, they have the, the, the toddler version, which is called high five. And he just graduated just this year to the, to the, uh, uh, adult highlights version. Um, yeah, well, the normal one, the one that you're used to saying, uh, the highlights, but they had this thing in there and it's called, um, it's called happy noon year.
Yeah. And what they do is, is, you know, all the kiddos get together and they count down. to, to 12, but to noon, and that, and then, and then party. Which is really what we all should do, because who can stay up till midnight at this point? I gotta be honest, like, like, New Year's Eve, it's, it is by far, in my estimation, the most anticlimactic holiday.
Like, it's like, you wanna stay up till midnight? Like, I guess, like... I guess, but 12. 01, I'm going right to bed. And that's just it, like, it's like, it's like, can, can, can I be in bed? Like, when we count down the close, that's where I wanna be. And then, you know, Hey, Happy New Year. Great. Here's a smooch. I'm going to sleep.
Like, that's it. Like, that's the whole thing. Like, whoa, very exciting. Not really. And like, you know, New Year's, Rockin Eve, or whatever it is, I don't watch that, that stuff. Because I don't care. And the musicians on there, I don't want to listen to anyways. Um, can you imagine, who in their right mind, and if you're one of those people who, who, who do, it's not you, because I know you're not, is wrong with people?
And if you're listening and you do that, God love you, but. There are people that stand in the same spot for hours, like eight, ten hours, and they just wet their pants. And for what? I don't know. Like, what's the payoff? It's freezing, first of all, because you're in New York. I don't know, how, how exhausted you must be.
So, in, in Boston, when I was younger, they had this thing, they probably still do, it's called First Night. Yes, they do, yep. Or, and, and that's their version of, of that, and, um, my sister, uh, she used to do a lot of choirs and stuff like that, they were performing down there, so, you know, my, uh, I, I don't know how old I was, like 10 or 12 or something like that, so I went, went down with my, with my dad and we saw my sister perform, which was nice, whatever, and there were like ice sculptures and stuff like that, that was cool.
Do you know where we celebrated the, uh, uh, the, the, the, the actual New Year happening? Where is that? On the T, underground. Oh my god. When our T was stuck. Was it the red line? The red line's always stuck. I think it was the green line. I think it was when the green line went underground. The red line's the one that would always go by my apartment.
I'm like, oh, it's broke again, because it was like just stuck right in front of my apartment. Which red line were you on? Because it split out to like Braintree and uh... Yeah, it was Braintree, Quincy area. Um, and I just remember, because like I, I had a really good view. It was like right across the street. Uh, so there's like a little parking lot and then the, the t track.
Braintree was the place where you had to pay to get off. Oh really? Yeah, you had to pay to get on it. I always heard horror stories. It was so far down, you had to pay to get off. It's like, uh, this is not great. This is not great. Love Braintree though. Best moment. There is a, uh, there is a, if you go to the Braintree, all the way down to the Braintree, uh, uh, stop, there is...
Is it the Braintree one, or maybe it's the Quincy one, I can't remember. It's one of the end ones, and um, there's a, there's a Bickfords, right when you get off. Are you familiar with the Bickfords? No. Because my wife is not familiar with the Bickfords. It's like an IHOP. Uh, it used to be like, Bickfords, breakfast, anytime.
Oh, there is an IHOP right by that one though, I think. No, it was definitely the Bickfords, and I can tell you why I know this. Because I was in uh, Air Force ROTC when I was in college, and we had a uh, a little thing before. Uh, the, the year started, and it was, uh, I went to Northeastern, it was Northeastern, Boston University, Boston College, um, Uh, Bridgewater State and Tufts, I think.
So, like, if you were doing Air Force ROTC, you did, you were in that, you know, detachment. And so, we all got together before the school year started. Now, the BU kids, uh, moved in before we did. And so, we, you know, who didn't go there had some time off. And we took the red line down to, to the end and went to Bickford's.
And Super Troopers had come out fairly recently before that. Um, and... You've never seen Super Troopers have you? Nah. Okay, so there's one part in it where they literally are chugging, uh, maple syrup for reasons unknown. And so we, as dumb 18 year old kids, decided to do that. Now, the thing you need to know about Bickford's different than IHOP.
IHOP has those little, you know, you get like the four different flavors of Yeah, right on the table. Yeah, so Bickford's doesn't do that, or didn't at least. They would have little, almost like shot glasses worth of, uh, Uh, maple syrup, but not just maple syrup, hot maple syrup. Ooh. Which by the way is Oh, that doesn't sound good.
Well, okay. Well, first of all, on pancakes, ugh. Oh, right. On pancakes. So delicious. Yeah, but just straight into your belly. Yeah. So we started doing shots of that and then creating a tower of our empties until we were kicked out. Yeah. Um, and, and here's the thing you need to know about hot maple syrup. Uh, it coats the inside of your mouth.
immediately. And you can like literally have this like gelatinous goo going down. Yeah, it wasn't great. It wasn't a great idea. I was not the smartest kid in the world. Um, so yeah, there you go. There you go. And, and many of those kids I did that with are now, you know, high ranking members of the Air Force.
Oh my goodness. So yeah. It's time to be alive. Detachment 355, Flying Tigers, death from above. Hoorah! Hoorah! Um, anyway, uh, it is New Year's. And on every New Year's, I mean, I talked about this last year when I was by myself before you came into my life and made it so much better. Um, and uh, you know, we talked about how New Year's resolutions, I mean, they're great, I like them, but...
They're kind of useless. I don't know about you, but I make goals for myself all the time. And you should. And not, not just like, oh, it's the new year, I gotta have a new me, uh, you know, kind of way. But that doesn't, it never lasts. And they're literally, and I remember if you go back, uh, almost a year ago now, I have specific episodes on specific days in the month of January, because it's like, I think it's three weeks after New Year's.
That's when the overwhelming majority of resolutions fail, and there's a name for it. Um, and I think it's called something like failure day or something, I gotta figure out It is, I think, you're right. It's called Quitter's Day. Quitter's Day, yeah. And I recorded it on January 22nd, so it's the third week of January.
Well, you know this as somebody that goes to the gym, like, everybody's there that first week, right? Everybody and their dog. Uh, and then it's like a couple weeks in, it's like, oh, they all start trickling out. It's just like survive the first few weeks of people. Look, I'm still here. Uh, so yeah, I totally, yeah, I know that's a thing.
You know, I, I, so I'm, I'm not a huge, you know, resolution fan. And I think I said it last year, like. Don't, I mean, if you want to do something, do it. Why are you waiting until the, you know, to the 30th? But we're here. I mean, it's, we are here. So, okay. Uh, if we're going to make resolutions now, I guess is the time.
Um, so let's do it. Let's make some resolutions. now?
Again, you know, we could talk about what your resolutions were last year. Your life was very different. Oh my god, my life was so different last year. I, you know, I've actually been saying this to students lately where it's like, if anybody had told me where 2021 was going to take me, Like, in the heart of 2020, I would have probably laughed hysterically and then cried a little bit.
Because, honestly... I have that, I have that effect on people. Well, I mean, part of it is the beauty of being here at Voice Coaches, but, you know, and then it was just like everything else that started coming my way. I mean, seriously, in the, in the heart of 2020, even near like, you know, the fall of it, I honestly, it seemed like I lost everything.
I'm sorry, but when you say the fall of 2020, I mean, it's the fall. Yeah, it's not like this. We're not talking about the season. We're talking about the fall of the fall of 2020. Yeah, it felt that way. All of 2020 felt that way. No, and it did for everybody, but like for me, like I literally started the year where I was about to be on three different radio stations, two in Boston, one in Hartford.
I was moving, like I had all these, this prosperous stuff about to happen. And you know, it hit me like that job, that full time job I was offered was March 3rd of 2020. And everything just like died and shut down 10 days later. And you know, everything fell apart. And I literally went from being very successful to.
I am now 13 years old again living in my childhood bedroom, surrounded by my dad's collectibles, playing basketball every day, just trying to make through every single day and figure out what the heck is going to be next. So now you've got me here, and I'm on four different radio stations in four states.
I'm, you know, loving my time here at Voice Coaches. I started dabbling in audiobooks, like I do commercials for a station here locally, like I'm doing a whole bunch of stuff that I never ever would have expected last year. What do I, what are my goals in 2022? Yes, it's all because I met Josh Heller. That's what I do.
What I do. My biggest goal is to keep you on the podcast. In some kind of way. Zoom is a beautiful thing. I'm just throwing it out there. So even if you can't physically be here, I mean, there's definitely ways for us to make that happen. I mean, I definitely want to keep people abreast of what I'm doing.
Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. still doing voiceover. So I feel like now it's like, how do I tackle this while doing something completely new around it? And that's the thing. And I've told people this, you know, and, and, and I, and I say this in all, in all honesty, um, you know, I joke with people that it takes time after you get your demo before that, that first job.
And that can be a frustrating time. And a lot of people don't make it through that time. They quit before then. Um, and I tell people this, and this is a hundred percent true. If I didn't work here, I would have been one of those people. I would have quit. A hundred percent of the time. And the reason why I didn't is because I walked into a studio every day, and I talked to people about doing this every day, and it's like, well, it can take time, you gotta be patient.
You're motivating them, which in turn motivates you. Yeah, I'm thinking to myself, like, idiot, do these things. And so that was keeping, because it was, you know, but for a lot of people, it's out of sight, out of mind, and that makes it easier to walk away from. So I had the luxury of being here. And, you know, having this in my face all the time.
And one of my main goals is to not let that slip. Not, you know, back off. Did I do as much as I wanted to do this year? No, no, probably not. But, I mean, I have my first... Big audio book this year. I mean, I had six audio books. I did this year. That's awesome. Very in degrees Including my biggest one and I finally hit that that goal that I that I've told people for years that I've wanted to do and That's to take my family on vacation with only money that I made From my voice acting and I was finally able to do that and I don't want to take a step backwards Yeah, that's my goal is to not take a step backwards to keep doing what I'm doing.
Yeah and building upon that and You know, and, and, it's gonna be a new reality for me, it's gonna be different, certainly, and I'm not gonna have that in my face, but at this point I do have a place to record at home, um, and I just need the, the mental wherewithal to, uh, to, to keep pushing it. It's just wrapping your head around a new schedule and, and, Well, and, yeah, and that's, that's gonna be it, it's gonna take, I'm not saying I'm gonna, you know, There's an adjustment period.
It is. And I don't want to have a, a, you know, a huge project, you know, a huge audio project happening in my first couple of weeks of my new job. Right. I don't. I want, I'm going to give myself a couple of weeks of, all right, no more auditions, no more, you know, marketing just for a couple of weeks. Just get everything, get into a rhythm.
And then once that rhythm hits, you know, then, because I mean, I'm going to be working banker's hours. Eight to four, eight to four is my schedule. Well, there you go. Every day. But that gives you a lot of time after four, you know. So that's good. And that's and that's one of the reasons why I wanted that because let's be honest I'm not recording before 8 o'clock.
Yeah, I'm not doing very much of anything before 8 o'clock in the morning And that's for the best for all of us But yeah I mean that's and that's one of the reasons why I wanted that so I can still be able to to do this because one Of the nice things at least as far as I'm concerned with with the new job that I'm taking in and I think I've told Everyone I'm working for the state is that you know Hopefully be able to retire at some point.
There's a nice retirement, you know, uh, idea. Um, and, retire at some decent age and continue to do this. That's the idea. That's, that's 100% the idea. If I'm retiring and I'm not doing any voiceover, that's not a, not okay. That's not okay. No, I think when you're in this industry too, like, it's always in your blood.
Like, you have to kinda... You have to do it. Otherwise, it's like there's a part of you missing, at least in my case. And that, no, I'm 100% with you. So I had the sports aspect of it. And you know, when I lost that, I was away from, from that for about six months. And even when I started working here before I started actually doing voiceover work, I was working here and teaching here and producing here.
But you know, getting to do that has absolutely You know, uh, uh, filled that void and I, and, and I'm, I'm going to need some kind of creative outlet, Yeah, when, when you're, when you're in this field, I feel like that. That proves you are a creative human and creative humans always need an outlet, always, for that creativity.
Otherwise you feel off, like your world doesn't feel complete. So, I totally get that. It's too boring. It is, it's too boring. Um, so that's, I mean, that's probably the biggest of my, um, you know, my, my things, is that next year at this time, to say that, yeah, no, I, I, Continued moving forward. Now, how many big strides did I make?
I don't know. I don't know, but continue to, to, to continue to go down the track that I'm on, um, which at the moment is a positive one. Yeah, for sure. Hopefully remains to be the case. Um, and so that, that's my goal. Not to let that, not to, not to take a step backwards. Not to take a step backwards from that.
And if I can sit here a year from now and talk to you guys a year from now. And I'd be happy to do that. Yeah, you better, because I'm going to force it to you anyway. I can tell you how things are going, uh, you know, hopefully it's, uh, it's that, yeah, no, I've, I've continued to do that. And, uh, you know, you know, who knows?
Who knows from there? But, uh, but yeah, certainly that's, that's, uh, that's something. So it's been, I think it's, it's been a good year. It's been a weird year. It's been a weird year. I will agree with that. It's been pretty positive. For many people, it's been a tough year. And, you know, obviously. Uh, we don't take that lightly.
It's been a tough couple years for, for a lot of people, for lots of reasons, and this past year was no different, but, you know, take the positives you can out of it. And I think for, for, for both of us, as far as voiceover is concerned, there have been absolutely positives. And I hope, you know, for those of you listening in, there have been as well, and I'd love to hear from you guys to see how things have gone in the past year.
Obviously, it's been a trying year at times, um, but. You know, what can we get out of it? What can we do? And have we been able to continue to push and continue to, uh, continue to strive and continue to try. Because the best thing that we can do for our own mental health is to focus more on the blessings that come our way.
Even the smallest things. Because honestly, like, the moment that we start focusing more on those, we start noticing them more. You know, we're, we're very trained in a lot of ways. to focus on the negative. I mean, look at the media. Like whenever you turn on the news, it's all nothing but negative. So our brains are trained in that way.
So that's what happens every single day. But if we start looking at even just the smallest little positive thing, you know, somebody got me coffee this morning, you know, that that can change your entire outlook. I didn't do that. No, I know. But my point is like little things like that. They can be a complete game changer when we start focusing on them.
My wife does this, my son now does this, he has a gratitude journal. Oh, awesome. That he fills out, like a little kid's gratitude journal that he fills out every night. Um, well, most nights. And, uh, and we try to, you know, to focus on those things. Cause we do have, I mean, so much to be thankful for. Um. you know, at this point in our lives.
And so we want to, you know, make sure that he knows that and appreciates that fact. Because it's hard, especially as a kid. Yeah. It's extremely hard, especially as a kid this time of year. Are you kidding me? Like, are you happy for the gifts you got? Yeah, but I want more. Like, of course you do. I'm aware of that.
Don't say that, but I get it. Like, I was a kid at one time, many, many, many, many, many moons ago. Um, I get it. Right. And so I think we're all that way, but, you know, try to, uh, try to appreciate those, those things. And, um, And I think, yeah, I think you're right. I think that is, that is helpful. That is, that is definitely, uh, definitely something that's necessary.
For all of us. 100%, my man. 100%. And I am, I am, I, I, I, like I said, it's been awesome. Working with you since let's see. When is your first episode? Probably March, but I got here in February So yep, Marissa intro was March 19th episode 471. Oh, that's right. Cuz episode 472 was asthma And and so it's I'm known for right?
Yeah. Hey, listen, take what you can get take what you can get So it's been about oh, I don't know what 30, 40 episodes, 30 episodes or so? Probably too many. Yeah. Sorry, but I'm sticking around. Listen, listen. No, and, and, and, and, I mean, I don't know, this isn't my last, uh, uh, you know, episode before I leave, but it's, it's one of them, but you're going to do amazing.
I'm not worried in one bit, one bit. Thanks. You have so much confidence in me. I do. I do. First of all, you have like 17 podcasts that you already do. Um, so I mean, it's not exactly a, I do do a lot of stuff and I do talk to myself a lot in a room. You know, uh, by my, by myself, so, uh, it's, it's normal. Well, you have, like, three animals bouncing around, so you can just say you're talking to them.
That's what I do. Like, I'll talk to myself, and my cat will walk by and be like, Yeah, I was talking to, uh, It's fine. Yeah, it's fine. That's all I was talking to. Don't worry. Now, when they start to talk back, that's when things... might need to take a step back. Yeah. Potentially. Potentially. But, um, but cool. And so, and, and, again, like I said, for, for all those listening, I'd love to hear how your year has been, how you have been able to, to reach your, your goals that you have set for yourself, or if you haven't, and that's okay, because now's the time to kind of reevaluate those things, and, you know, I'd love to say that, you know, every one of, of our, of our, you know, resolutions or goals, we're, we're all gonna hit them by next year.
That's not gonna happen. That's okay. That's okay, but and I do think that's you know New Year's resolutions as weird as they are and I think we can can and should do them at any point We don't have to wait till New Year's It is a good time to kind of take stock of What's happened and what you want to happen and how you're gonna make that happen and hopefully we can be a part of that Hopefully we can help you to do that at least in voice acting Um, anything else?
I don't know. You're on your own. You're on your own. Let's do it. Uh, so that's, that's the goal. But I'd love to hear from you guys. Good gains in the new year. Come on. That's right. Mad gains. Mad gains. Mad gains, yo. Um, uh, JoshAtVoiceCoaches. com, that's the way to get in touch with me, at least for a little while longer.
Uh, I don't know, maybe you'll take that, that email thing. Hey, just call me Josh, you know? You can have it. Um, but uh, that's, uh, that's my email. I'm still around. You haven't gotten rid of me just yet. Don't worry. Don't worry. But JoshAtVoiceCoaches. com, let me know what you guys are up to. Love to hear it.
Thank you so, so much, everyone, for listening in all year long. Uh, it has been 52 awesome weeks of, uh, of talking to you guys and, um, and, and hearing from you guys and, and being a part of this. Like I said, I'm not done just yet, but, uh, I certainly am getting, uh... A little bit. Uh, shut up. Whatever. It's fine.
Happy moment. Are you, are you getting misty? Hi. No, you, oh my God, you are. Shut up. It's somebody. Get him a tissue shut. It's, no, it's dusty. It got, uh, there was cleaning in here. Don't tell Laura that she cleaned in here before we got in. Did somebody grab him a tissue? It's fine. It's fine, guys. Whatever.
Whatever. I don't hate you guys. I hate you. Hate all. No. Um, no. But you guys, I, I, again, uh, you know, I always joke that it's not just our show, it's your show too, but it is. I mean, it's, it's all of the listeners. So thank you so much for those of you who have tuned in all year long. We love to have you listening in and thank you so much for that.
Um, and again, everyone, happy, healthy, safe new year. Make some good memories. Keep being safe. That's right. And it's going to be a big 2022. It's going to be a big 2022. Don't think that it's just 2020 with a two T O O next to it because that's depressing. No, we're going to make it big. 2022 is gonna be a good year, guys.
It's gonna be a good year. Uh, so, so again, wishing all the best to, uh, to all of you this upcoming year. And, um, oh, we got a, uh, uh, next week we'll hear from, uh, from Laura Graver who came back to, uh, voice coaches. She left and was gone for about a year and a half and came back, oh, maybe a little bit of just like Josh will do a little bit of a harger.
What's gonna happen to me? Who knows who's little foreshadowing y'all? There we go. And, uh, so we'll hear from her. And, uh, and, uh, again, if you have anything you wanna chime in with, please do so. Josh voice coaches.com. That's the way to do that, Marissa. Very Happy New Year to you, my friend! And, uh, are you ready so we can do the countdown?
Ready? Ready? 3, 2, 1! Happy
New Year! I don't know if you can do that legally. Oh, that's, seriously? That's, okay, that's copyrighted. I don't know. Maybe not. Copyright. Uh, happy birthday. No, no, no. That's royalties. That's okay now. No, it's not. Yeah, it is. It's in the public domain now. Okay. It is. You can do that. You can do that. Anyway, uh, happy new year, everyone.
We'll talk to you next week. Marissa, happy new year to you as well. We'll talk to you next week. And until next time, so long, everyone. Visit voicecoaches. com for more voiceover news and information.
Josh and Marissa ring in the New Year by looking back at the year that was, and setting resolutions for the year to come.
