VC Radio
Voice Coaches Radio – #655 – Face Your Fears
Voice Coaches Radio. Everything voiceover. It's true. I feel like we were just starting the year. How are we already, like, basically mid October? It's crazy to me. Uh, my name is Marissa. And how are you doing right now as my voice gets all nice and hoarse? I feel like it's I would say it's sexy phlegm. But it's just me, um, it's just me, it's just exhausted, always on the go, always working me, uh, but, you know, whatever.
It's funny, like I saw, we, I do ads, you know, for voice coaches every so often, and there was one over the summer. And somebody said, like, one of the comments was why would I take voice over, um, lessons or whatever from somebody who sounds like they're losing their voice? And I, like, listened back to, like, what I had posted in the video and stuff, and I'm like, girl, that's just my voice.
Like, I I'm just like a naturally raspy person. It doesn't mean that I'm losing my voice. Dill hole. Uh, but, uh, you know, to each their own, I guess. I don't know. Uh, Karen of the internet. Um, but, um, you know, I just, I think it's funny every once in a while. Somebody's gotta put their two cents in, even though nobody cares.
Um, clearly it's bothered me, but that's fine. That's besides the point. Okay, we're gonna move forward. Uh, but, uh, I hope that you are, uh, maybe getting ready for Halloween. I've known what I'm gonna be for a while, um, but I haven't exactly been, like, rarin for a party, so I, I don't know what's gonna happen, maybe I just dress up as ho at home, uh, with what I was gonna be, but I, I don't know, we'll see, um, you know, you've got plenty of Plenty of time still left, but don't, don't put it off.
Like, if you plan on buying your costume, and you wait last minute, man, uh, it is just not, it's not fun. All of a sudden, you're gonna have to be, like, the Easter Bunny, and, like, that's just, that's ridiculous. Uh, so, here's something that came up in the weird holiday calendar that I always love to look at, because I feel like it's just always so relevant.
Um, the other day, on the 8th, it was Face Your Fears Day, right? And One thing that I feel like a lot of people, two things, two things that a lot of people that get into this are scared of, like you've taken the first step. And you're like, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna start, and I'm gonna be in voiceover.
And I'm gonna get educated. I'm gonna, I'm gonna practice. And I'm gonna make time for it. And I'm gonna sound my best. But then like, you don't wanna really tell anybody that you're doing it. And, and, you don't really record yourself cause you're scared of hearing yourself back. And then the other thing is, y you don't really want to post anything on social media, cause like, you know, what if people judge you, right?
Like, what if what if people think that you you're you're bad at it, or like, hmpf, I can't believe they're doing that, like, they're never gonna be good at that. Like, they tch, okay, yeah, go to Hollywood, huh? Um, and, no, I get it. I get it. But that's why, when I see something like Face Your Fears Day come up, I'm like, heck yeah.
Because I'm somebody that I know. If I didn't do that for myself, and I haven't continuously done that for myself, I sure as heck would not be doing this right now. I wouldn't have done anything that I have accomplished in my career. Like, it just wouldn't have happened. I was the shyest of shy. Uh, you know, and I, I always loved to entertain the people I was comfortable with.
But you throw one person in the mix that's in that room that I don't know, I'm like, Okay, we're gonna just not say a word. I'm gonna hide behind mom. I am going to not do my Michael Jackson impersonation right here, right now. Ain't nobody gonna smile because of me. No. Uh, and uh, you know, that's just how it was for a very long time.
And, and I hated that about myself. Like that was, that was like awful. It was an awful feeling to be a creative human and, and like Love to entertain, but also be like so scared at the same time to do it. So like, when you get yourself here, this is like the first step. Like, if you haven't even signed up for any classes or whatever, but you're listening to me ramble right now, like, this is step one.
Right? Like, you have made a choice. I wanna go ahead and get educated on voiceover a little bit more. Cool. Alright, step one. Cool. We're here. Now it's going to be like, all right, step two, start, start getting some education under your belt and start doing the practice. Start doing it right. Step three is going to be the hard one.
It's where you have to step outside your comfort zone, most likely. And. And start to really listen to yourself and, and how you're doing these things and how you're performing. It's the only way to get better. It really is. It's the only way to get better. So, like, I tell students all the time, it's as simple as recording yourself on your smartphone.
It can be just a voice memo app. That's really all it has to be, you know, to start. You know, listen to yourself. Don't be so scared. Face that fear. All right? Because we all think we sound one way and then we realize, Oh, I actually sound like this. And now you have to, like, build the ear for how you actually are in life.
You know, that takes a second. You know, what I hear of me is what you hear of me at this point. Like, that's where I'm at, you know, but I've been doing this a long time. We're not gonna get into how long just yet. I have an anniversary coming up. I'll talk about it then. Um, but, you know, this is, this is like a good first push for yourself.
The other thing that personally I think, Is so incredibly important, and that you can eventually have a lot of fun with. You know, I was just on Instagram, and I, I, like, typed in voice actor, or whatever, and I just went and I clicked send. You know, and, and all of a sudden all these different videos and, you know, little meme things pop up.
And the people that are on there, that are doing, like, voiceover challenges, and, and whatever, They're on there, they're having a blast. They're having a blast and they're showing off the skill that they have. Like the one guy I watched, I was like, man, I'm getting chills right now. And it was just like something, it was such a silly video, but it was showcasing his acting and his skill to bring a character to life that, I mean, I didn't even know he was about to do.
And I think that's, that's one of the, the big hard steps for so many, depending on ages that are coming in to voiceover. You know, we, at voice coaches, we get a lot of people that are kind of like, they've been doing a career for 15, 20 years, right? And they want to like, venture out into something else that, that brings them joy, that they actually love to do, and that they have fun with.
But, you know, they're, they're so many years into life, and, and now we have that, that fear that's there of being judged, of our own like failure or whatever. You know, if you can do everything for yourself to kind of push that aside, don't worry about failing. All right. There is no, the way you fail is when you give up on yourself.
All right. Don't worry about being judged. If somebody's judging you, and, and like, you find out about it, like, that's a person that shouldn't be in your world, first of all. Uh, and then like, secondly, the people that are in this community with you, we're not judging. If anything, we're gonna be looking at somebody going, how can I help them get better?
Or we're gonna look at you going, oh my god, look at how much fun they're having. I know they're new, and I can tell, but like, they're, they're gonna have so much, like, growth in, like, the coming months because of what they're doing. Like, it's, it's just like, it's a great community. So. You know, the places where you're going to want to be, I'm going to tell you right now.
Alright. Like, I was just saying a second ago, I was on Instagram. That, it was such a quick little Instagram search that I did, and boom, like, so much stuff popped up. And that's just because of hashtags used and whatever else. So, get yourself on a platform like Instagram, get yourself on a platform like TikTok.
Most certainly TikTok. Get on YouTube. Get, get on Facebook. Like, all these platforms you can kind of utilize similar things. But they all might have a little bit different of an audience just because Some people like tiktok, but they hate facebook and vice versa Um, you know some people it's like, you know Youtube you can put longer stuff on And people are going to want to watch and listen and help with longer stuff and like tiktok is just like quick bits um, you know and Like, these each have opportunities for you to, to go ahead and have fun, and to educate, and to grow, and to It's not even just growing in skill, and ability, and community, it's, it's relationships, it's potential work opportunity.
Like, there's just so many reasons why you want to take the time to do this kind of stuff. This might be even scarier for some because maybe you're not on any form of social media or like all you have is Facebook and you're not sure how to use the other stuff and you've never really put a video together and like all of that can seem scary just because it's something you don't know.
But you don't know it until you do know it. And you just have to, it's just like voiceover itself. You didn't know the ins and outs when you first started. And then all of a sudden, Oh, cool. These are the things that I have to do. These are what I'm going to be focused on. This is what I'm going to practice.
And this is how I'm going to practice. And I'm going to get better. And you, and then you do. You get better. Same thing here. You're learning something new. Right? And, and like you can utilize all these platforms as well. To be educated about the platform, because that's what so many people on them do. Like that might be all they do.
It's like you're on YouTube, you can go ahead and, and like search for somebody that can teach you how to put a video on YouTube. Like, you know, it's just the, the world is at your fingertips and it's just a matter of what you do with it, you know? So, so don't, don't be scared. Face your fear and. Just start to take those steps, because that is where you are going to either become who you're meant to be, or you're gonna get more comfortable, or you're going to be able to get better at what you're doing, or you're going to get the first gig.
Like, you just, you don't understand, unless you've done it before, that, like, the moment you get out of your comfort zone is where, is where life really begins. And, and if I hadn't done that, oh, I will tell you right now, I would be in a call center hating my life. Um, I'd be sitting there going, I just, I just wanted to be on a stage somewhere.
I just wanted a microphone in my face. Uh, you know, I wanted to interview somebody or, or whatever, you know. And I've gotten to do so many things because I took that step. And that first step was so hard. And, like, the second step was, was like A little bit hard. It just wasn't as hard as the first one, you know.
It's just, it starts with you. It starts with, um, I guess just letting yourself, letting yourself enjoy all that life has to offer you, but you can't. If you just keep staying in the background like be your own as they would say main character, it's your time, right? so, um, hopefully These are words of inspiration.
Um, you know because I am like your picture proof of what can happen Um, you know not because I am saying these words on this podcast um, but because of the Amazing amount of things that I could show you on my resume, uh, and all the, all the work that's still left to be done, um, you know, I'm not slowing down by any means, you know, that life can get in the way, but I'm not slowing down, not, not yet, I'm, I'm not at retirement age, I'm not even close, uh, but if you've got anything that you want spoken about here on the podcast, you got a question, um, maybe you want to be a guest, If you've been in the voiceover world for a while and you got some things you want to say, you can always just hit me at Marissa at voicecoaches.
com. Marissa at voicecoaches. com. If you want further education, you can always ask about that as well. And I'll point you in the right direction, but we've got a brand new episode coming your way next week. Stay safe, everybody. Visit voicecoaches. com for more voiceover news and information.
It's funny, like I saw, we, I do ads, you know, for voice coaches every so often, and there was one over the summer. And somebody said, like, one of the comments was why would I take voice over, um, lessons or whatever from somebody who sounds like they're losing their voice? And I, like, listened back to, like, what I had posted in the video and stuff, and I'm like, girl, that's just my voice.
Like, I I'm just like a naturally raspy person. It doesn't mean that I'm losing my voice. Dill hole. Uh, but, uh, you know, to each their own, I guess. I don't know. Uh, Karen of the internet. Um, but, um, you know, I just, I think it's funny every once in a while. Somebody's gotta put their two cents in, even though nobody cares.
Um, clearly it's bothered me, but that's fine. That's besides the point. Okay, we're gonna move forward. Uh, but, uh, I hope that you are, uh, maybe getting ready for Halloween. I've known what I'm gonna be for a while, um, but I haven't exactly been, like, rarin for a party, so I, I don't know what's gonna happen, maybe I just dress up as ho at home, uh, with what I was gonna be, but I, I don't know, we'll see, um, you know, you've got plenty of Plenty of time still left, but don't, don't put it off.
Like, if you plan on buying your costume, and you wait last minute, man, uh, it is just not, it's not fun. All of a sudden, you're gonna have to be, like, the Easter Bunny, and, like, that's just, that's ridiculous. Uh, so, here's something that came up in the weird holiday calendar that I always love to look at, because I feel like it's just always so relevant.
Um, the other day, on the 8th, it was Face Your Fears Day, right? And One thing that I feel like a lot of people, two things, two things that a lot of people that get into this are scared of, like you've taken the first step. And you're like, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna start, and I'm gonna be in voiceover.
And I'm gonna get educated. I'm gonna, I'm gonna practice. And I'm gonna make time for it. And I'm gonna sound my best. But then like, you don't wanna really tell anybody that you're doing it. And, and, you don't really record yourself cause you're scared of hearing yourself back. And then the other thing is, y you don't really want to post anything on social media, cause like, you know, what if people judge you, right?
Like, what if what if people think that you you're you're bad at it, or like, hmpf, I can't believe they're doing that, like, they're never gonna be good at that. Like, they tch, okay, yeah, go to Hollywood, huh? Um, and, no, I get it. I get it. But that's why, when I see something like Face Your Fears Day come up, I'm like, heck yeah.
Because I'm somebody that I know. If I didn't do that for myself, and I haven't continuously done that for myself, I sure as heck would not be doing this right now. I wouldn't have done anything that I have accomplished in my career. Like, it just wouldn't have happened. I was the shyest of shy. Uh, you know, and I, I always loved to entertain the people I was comfortable with.
But you throw one person in the mix that's in that room that I don't know, I'm like, Okay, we're gonna just not say a word. I'm gonna hide behind mom. I am going to not do my Michael Jackson impersonation right here, right now. Ain't nobody gonna smile because of me. No. Uh, and uh, you know, that's just how it was for a very long time.
And, and I hated that about myself. Like that was, that was like awful. It was an awful feeling to be a creative human and, and like Love to entertain, but also be like so scared at the same time to do it. So like, when you get yourself here, this is like the first step. Like, if you haven't even signed up for any classes or whatever, but you're listening to me ramble right now, like, this is step one.
Right? Like, you have made a choice. I wanna go ahead and get educated on voiceover a little bit more. Cool. Alright, step one. Cool. We're here. Now it's going to be like, all right, step two, start, start getting some education under your belt and start doing the practice. Start doing it right. Step three is going to be the hard one.
It's where you have to step outside your comfort zone, most likely. And. And start to really listen to yourself and, and how you're doing these things and how you're performing. It's the only way to get better. It really is. It's the only way to get better. So, like, I tell students all the time, it's as simple as recording yourself on your smartphone.
It can be just a voice memo app. That's really all it has to be, you know, to start. You know, listen to yourself. Don't be so scared. Face that fear. All right? Because we all think we sound one way and then we realize, Oh, I actually sound like this. And now you have to, like, build the ear for how you actually are in life.
You know, that takes a second. You know, what I hear of me is what you hear of me at this point. Like, that's where I'm at, you know, but I've been doing this a long time. We're not gonna get into how long just yet. I have an anniversary coming up. I'll talk about it then. Um, but, you know, this is, this is like a good first push for yourself.
The other thing that personally I think, Is so incredibly important, and that you can eventually have a lot of fun with. You know, I was just on Instagram, and I, I, like, typed in voice actor, or whatever, and I just went and I clicked send. You know, and, and all of a sudden all these different videos and, you know, little meme things pop up.
And the people that are on there, that are doing, like, voiceover challenges, and, and whatever, They're on there, they're having a blast. They're having a blast and they're showing off the skill that they have. Like the one guy I watched, I was like, man, I'm getting chills right now. And it was just like something, it was such a silly video, but it was showcasing his acting and his skill to bring a character to life that, I mean, I didn't even know he was about to do.
And I think that's, that's one of the, the big hard steps for so many, depending on ages that are coming in to voiceover. You know, we, at voice coaches, we get a lot of people that are kind of like, they've been doing a career for 15, 20 years, right? And they want to like, venture out into something else that, that brings them joy, that they actually love to do, and that they have fun with.
But, you know, they're, they're so many years into life, and, and now we have that, that fear that's there of being judged, of our own like failure or whatever. You know, if you can do everything for yourself to kind of push that aside, don't worry about failing. All right. There is no, the way you fail is when you give up on yourself.
All right. Don't worry about being judged. If somebody's judging you, and, and like, you find out about it, like, that's a person that shouldn't be in your world, first of all. Uh, and then like, secondly, the people that are in this community with you, we're not judging. If anything, we're gonna be looking at somebody going, how can I help them get better?
Or we're gonna look at you going, oh my god, look at how much fun they're having. I know they're new, and I can tell, but like, they're, they're gonna have so much, like, growth in, like, the coming months because of what they're doing. Like, it's, it's just like, it's a great community. So. You know, the places where you're going to want to be, I'm going to tell you right now.
Alright. Like, I was just saying a second ago, I was on Instagram. That, it was such a quick little Instagram search that I did, and boom, like, so much stuff popped up. And that's just because of hashtags used and whatever else. So, get yourself on a platform like Instagram, get yourself on a platform like TikTok.
Most certainly TikTok. Get on YouTube. Get, get on Facebook. Like, all these platforms you can kind of utilize similar things. But they all might have a little bit different of an audience just because Some people like tiktok, but they hate facebook and vice versa Um, you know some people it's like, you know Youtube you can put longer stuff on And people are going to want to watch and listen and help with longer stuff and like tiktok is just like quick bits um, you know and Like, these each have opportunities for you to, to go ahead and have fun, and to educate, and to grow, and to It's not even just growing in skill, and ability, and community, it's, it's relationships, it's potential work opportunity.
Like, there's just so many reasons why you want to take the time to do this kind of stuff. This might be even scarier for some because maybe you're not on any form of social media or like all you have is Facebook and you're not sure how to use the other stuff and you've never really put a video together and like all of that can seem scary just because it's something you don't know.
But you don't know it until you do know it. And you just have to, it's just like voiceover itself. You didn't know the ins and outs when you first started. And then all of a sudden, Oh, cool. These are the things that I have to do. These are what I'm going to be focused on. This is what I'm going to practice.
And this is how I'm going to practice. And I'm going to get better. And you, and then you do. You get better. Same thing here. You're learning something new. Right? And, and like you can utilize all these platforms as well. To be educated about the platform, because that's what so many people on them do. Like that might be all they do.
It's like you're on YouTube, you can go ahead and, and like search for somebody that can teach you how to put a video on YouTube. Like, you know, it's just the, the world is at your fingertips and it's just a matter of what you do with it, you know? So, so don't, don't be scared. Face your fear and. Just start to take those steps, because that is where you are going to either become who you're meant to be, or you're gonna get more comfortable, or you're going to be able to get better at what you're doing, or you're going to get the first gig.
Like, you just, you don't understand, unless you've done it before, that, like, the moment you get out of your comfort zone is where, is where life really begins. And, and if I hadn't done that, oh, I will tell you right now, I would be in a call center hating my life. Um, I'd be sitting there going, I just, I just wanted to be on a stage somewhere.
I just wanted a microphone in my face. Uh, you know, I wanted to interview somebody or, or whatever, you know. And I've gotten to do so many things because I took that step. And that first step was so hard. And, like, the second step was, was like A little bit hard. It just wasn't as hard as the first one, you know.
It's just, it starts with you. It starts with, um, I guess just letting yourself, letting yourself enjoy all that life has to offer you, but you can't. If you just keep staying in the background like be your own as they would say main character, it's your time, right? so, um, hopefully These are words of inspiration.
Um, you know because I am like your picture proof of what can happen Um, you know not because I am saying these words on this podcast um, but because of the Amazing amount of things that I could show you on my resume, uh, and all the, all the work that's still left to be done, um, you know, I'm not slowing down by any means, you know, that life can get in the way, but I'm not slowing down, not, not yet, I'm, I'm not at retirement age, I'm not even close, uh, but if you've got anything that you want spoken about here on the podcast, you got a question, um, maybe you want to be a guest, If you've been in the voiceover world for a while and you got some things you want to say, you can always just hit me at Marissa at voicecoaches.
com. Marissa at voicecoaches. com. If you want further education, you can always ask about that as well. And I'll point you in the right direction, but we've got a brand new episode coming your way next week. Stay safe, everybody. Visit voicecoaches. com for more voiceover news and information.
This week on Voice Coaches Radio, as we have just past “Face Your Fears” Day on the weird holiday calendar list, Marissa talks about why it’s important that you take the steps to face those fears. To step outside the comfort zone and in what ways that could truly benefit you in growth of skill, network and opportunity.
