VC Radio
Voice Coaches Radio #675 – A Spoonful of Honey
Voice coaches radio, everything Voiceover.
The first full weekend of Spring is upon us and it is like a wind tunnel here in New York. I, I don't know if it's everywhere in New York or if it's just around my house, but you know, sitting in my home studio. All I can hear is like, and I, I mean, I'm just over here like, when is every, like, when is the house gonna blow away?
I, I can't. It's crazy. It really is. I'm just thrilled. That it's a warm breeze and, uh, it's really not that cold and I don't wanna jinx us, but I, I think we've made it. I really do. Um, and I'm just, uh, I'm so happy because there's actual sunshine and, you know, for anybody that doesn't live in, in the northeast.
Y'all don't know. You don't understand. You don't get it. Like, I think it's not even just the Northeast, it's, it's like Midwest, northeast, like we just, there are months that go by and the vitamin D is just non-existent and it just makes you wonder. How in the world do we make it through? Like I, I do literally kind of feel like a bear coming out of hibernation, shaking off the seasonal depression.
And, uh, I'm just like, oh my God, I wanna do all the things. And it's just because the sun is out. It's so pathetic as I'm over here sipping my tea. One moment, please. 'cause this is important. This is what the podcast is about today, and you're gonna understand in a moment. Ah, okay. Maybe not fully in a moment, but I mean, oh God.
Already better. Um, so here is something I get a question asked to me quite often, right? It's like, what should I be doing about vocal health? And I have talked about some of the things that I have done. Over the, over the time of doing the podcast and what I have really been doing in my career. But, you know, over the last few years there's, there's been a couple new things like, you know, there's singer sprays that are very helpful that I have relied on sometimes to really just even push through what is like today, which is a Friday.
And it's like after a week of doing just an incessant amount of, of vocal work like. Yeah, I am, I'm strained and I know that, and I can't help it. Like, you know, I'm not like the normal, like, oh, I have an audiobook that I'm gonna do and I can do it on my time and break it up throughout the day. And that's it, that's all I'm doing.
Um, you know, I'm, I'm just like nonstop talking because I have, I don't even know, I think it's like 13 jobs right now. And one of them might, might be getting extended. So like one of the radio shows I'm doing is gonna go, I think from two hours a day to five. Which I know sounds like a lot. It, it doesn't take me all that much more work.
It's just, it's just more money and that's what I need. Uh, honestly. 'cause then maybe, maybe just, maybe I won't be so strained. Um, but it's just challenging between, you know, seasons changing and all that kind of stuff. So like I've relied on singer sprays. I know my body. I know I'm not getting enough sleep that is also most likely a part of my problem.
Uh, but I've had many issues since we ended up in that pandemic. You know, I've talked about it before. I had a concussion that has led to now a couple years later dealing with some serious neck pain. There are nights I just can't get comfortable and can I tell you, even consulting a lawyer, they're like, yeah, we can't take your case.
I'm like, um, I have a legitimate problem. Um. How do people play the system? I don't understand. I have an actual issue. Um, but, um, whatever, maybe I should contact somebody else. Uh, so like, there are a number of things that you need to kind of take into consideration. Like do you have allergies? Do you regularly take, you know, the allergy medicine if you don't?
Guess what, it's not gonna work very well. You can't just pop a couple pills and expect all of your allergy symptoms to just mar like miraculously go away. That's not how it works. It's gotta continuously be in your system. So like I know those things about myself, right? And I know I gotta continuously drink water.
I do that. But again, there are gonna be points in your life that you're just like overused and overworked and overtired and just overstrained. And that's where I've been. I'm gonna take another sip of my tea 'cause this is what you gotta do. Oh God. It's the best thing ever. Um, so here is what has been brought to my attention most recently because while I am strained right now, this is nothing if, like, if you, and you think you heard me last week, that was, I don't know when I recorded that episode.
It was not last week. Uh, if you had actually heard me last week on like Thursday or Friday. I was not sure how I was going to maneuver my days because I'm like, if, if this is what I am just going to continue to wake up to, I'm screwed. Like there goes the, there goes the paycheck, there goes the livelihood, there goes the feeling like I'm retired most of the time because of the flexibility of my days.
Um. And I was, I was starting to get a little nervous. I'm like, do I have to go to an ENT? Like, you can feel it in your throat. And it's like the worst thing ever because there's not, like, once you get to this point, there's not a whole lot that you can do. Like vocal rest is key. And when I don't have to talk, I really don't like, I just, I zip my lips.
My fiance is probably like, do you hate me? And in reality it's like, no, but if I try to speak to you right now, you're gonna think I'm crying or something. Um, like I'm broken and part of me probably is broken. Um, you know, it's, it's really, rest is key and I just, I can't get a lot of it. And, and not consistently anyway.
I almost feel like I need like two solid months off and that's just never gonna happen. Right. So. I started asking some friends, you know, is there anything else that, that you do to help a scenario like this? Because like, let's face it, like what happens too is like, I know a lot of people right now that are sick and what lingers the longest?
It's, it's like that hoarseness, it's the, it's the nasal, it's, it's all like upper respiratory kind of stuff. All of a sudden, there it is in my Facebook dms, my lovely friend Erin, who I feel awful for because she was a part of the Odyssey Cuts, um, you know, one of the radio companies, I, I mentioned it on the pod a couple weeks ago, again, just devastating.
Um, she's the one who slipped into my dms and she's like, Mar, you gotta try Manuka honey. And I was like, excuse me, Manuka honey, what the heck is that? I've never heard of a very specific, does it come in a bear? Like what? Um, and she was like, it's, it's outta New Zealand. It's a little pricey. And the higher MGO number the better.
And I was like. I don't know what any of that means, but I will go and I will search and she's like, you can get it on Amazon, you can get it at Whole Foods. I'm like, cool. I'm going tomorrow. And I get in the car the next day and I'm literally on my way. Like I had to stop at the doctor appointment that I had and then boom, I'm heading to uh, whole Foods and it's a good thing that I have my sound, my sound on.
'cause otherwise I would've totally missed out on her message. 'cause she hit me up again. She's like, ma. I, I'm at Home Goods right now and I'm in their food section. They've got Manuka Honey and you're gonna, it's gonna be like a third of the price that you're gonna pay over at Whole Foods. I'm like, oh sweet.
Jesus. Thank you. Um, so, 'cause like obviously finance is for everybody. We're all trying to penny pinch, so. I happen to be like in the direction where sure, whole Foods was not far, but Marshall's was also not far. And I was like, all right, we're stopping at Marshalls first. That's a, you know, sister store or whatever of, uh, home Goods.
They're like the same thing. Let's go and see what I find. And I'm looking for the label that she showed me and I wasn't finding it. I'm like, oh no, like I'm gonna have to pay $50 and I'm just gonna suck it up and it's gonna be fine. I'm gonna test this stuff out and it's probably gonna be magical. And then there it was right there in Marshall's.
Forget this, $12 and 99 cents. I got, um, I guess this is like 8.82 ounces. It is the Aurora Honey Company. It says New Zealand raw, multi floral, Manuka honey, MGO 100 plus. And. Can I tell you, I grabbed this thing so fast, I went up to that counter and I, I, the moment I got home, I grabbed a spoon and I just downed honey.
Now you might be thinking, is that how you're supposed to do it, Marissa? And I was wondering the same thing at first. 'cause I was like, oh God, I don't know how this is gonna taste. I don't know. And I did the whole like, pinch your nose and swallow and just hope for the best and it. Actually, you can do it that way.
It's a teaspoon that you want to take and you can do it like three times a day or something like that. And, um, from then on out though, I, I started putting it in my throat coat tea. So I'm like, look at that. A little too fur. And you know, that's what I'm drinking right now. And clearly I still sound like I sound, but it was so bad last week that my mom was concerned.
And like my mom has heard me at my worst and I think she finally realized. Maybe she hadn't heard me at my worst. Um, so this was like, just like a miracle. 'cause I did it and I, I think I was maybe like, it was like three doses in and I, I felt like a new human. Like right now, I don't really feel like a new human.
I feel like I need some rest and I like, just need to get to the weekend officially and like just go ahead and, uh, you know, maybe don't talk for 48 hours. That will be like my Sunday to Tuesday. Um, but, uh, no, in the meantime, like this, this, putting this in my tea is. It's just like a lifesaver because I don't know where I would be right now without it.
Like if I think about how bad I was last week and the fact that I'm not nearly as bad right now, I, I, I know that it's doing its job. Um, I. Thank God for bees in New Zealand. Right. But, you know, people ask me all the time, they're like, you know, what do you do? What do you do for like vocal warmups and whatever?
And like, I'm not somebody who does any crazy anything. And maybe I should start, but like, I just, I don't know. I, I'm kind of like. I don't know. I'm like a grumpy old person. I'm stuck in my waist. I'm like, get off my lawn. Uh, you know, but I, I do try to do the right thing. Like I try to be a healthy human. I have been getting back on the treadmill.
I do a really, really heavy cardio for like 15 solid minutes, if not longer, every, almost every day. And, um, you know, that really helps condition my lungs for my asthma and that helps in my vocal performance. Um, you know, I do try to stay as hydrated as possible. And I, and now, you know, now it's Manuka honey.
It's like part of my daily routine. And that is gonna be the case I think for a minute until I can really, you know, potentially get some good downtime, uh, as the summer approaches and stuff. But, you know, I wanted to make sure I passed along because I'm 20 years into my career. This is the first time anybody has mentioned this to me.
And apparently this is something that singers will use and whatever. And I have Googled stuff before. And never once did I see this specific honey. Like I've seen people, oh, put tea, you know, put honey in your tea. And I'm like, yeah, the one in the bear, this isn't a bear. This is just in a jar, like, you know, in like a plastic little thing.
And, um, and it is just such a godsend. So again, it's Manuka, M-A-N-U-K-A honey, Manuka honey. And the higher the number MGO, the. Better is what I've been told. And I am not getting paid to do this. This is me paying it forward because I'm just telling you like, I like my, my body's been through some stuff over the years, you know, it's like I literally could have died with swine flu and my voice has been kind of messed up ever since.
That was 2009. Um, so I am more susceptible to losing it. And, um, yeah, I mean, you know, you add in any of the other illness that I've had in between, whether it was like, um. Bronchitis, like some, like, uh, the flu, um, any kind of pneumonia, um, you know, COVID like, you know, we, we all battle something at some point, and it doesn't have to be vocal strain.
It could literally be that you are just trying to get yourself. Out of whatever you just had and you still have inflammation happening, you know, in, in your throat and in, in your upper, you know, whatever. Like, it's gonna help. I promise you. It's got like the, the, uh, you know, whole, uh, anti, you know, swelling or whatever, and it just, I, I am like, out of words.
It's so good. So. That's really all I wanted to make sure that you knew about right now, right here on this first Spring Friday. Um, and I really hope that you're also feeling a little bit, um, you know, more sane now that there's more s. Sun and warmer temps and, uh, I think we, we all needed that at this point.
Uh, coming up next week, I'm gonna have, uh, an interview with somebody that I just had as a student who is just a, a really, really cool guy. Um, so I'm hoping I can get that all situated this week. He was supposed to be on today, but, you know, things happen. So, uh, we'll have another episode. Brand new coming.
If you've got anything you want, discuss [email protected] and you can hit me up, uh, with any of your voiceover related questions. Maybe you've got questions about Manuka Honey, I pretty much told you everything I know here and now, but I will. Go forth and try to prosper a little bit and help you out even more.
But feel free to, uh, hit me up and I'll talk to you next week. Everybody be safe. Please visit voice coaches.com for more voiceover news and information.
The first full weekend of Spring is upon us and it is like a wind tunnel here in New York. I, I don't know if it's everywhere in New York or if it's just around my house, but you know, sitting in my home studio. All I can hear is like, and I, I mean, I'm just over here like, when is every, like, when is the house gonna blow away?
I, I can't. It's crazy. It really is. I'm just thrilled. That it's a warm breeze and, uh, it's really not that cold and I don't wanna jinx us, but I, I think we've made it. I really do. Um, and I'm just, uh, I'm so happy because there's actual sunshine and, you know, for anybody that doesn't live in, in the northeast.
Y'all don't know. You don't understand. You don't get it. Like, I think it's not even just the Northeast, it's, it's like Midwest, northeast, like we just, there are months that go by and the vitamin D is just non-existent and it just makes you wonder. How in the world do we make it through? Like I, I do literally kind of feel like a bear coming out of hibernation, shaking off the seasonal depression.
And, uh, I'm just like, oh my God, I wanna do all the things. And it's just because the sun is out. It's so pathetic as I'm over here sipping my tea. One moment, please. 'cause this is important. This is what the podcast is about today, and you're gonna understand in a moment. Ah, okay. Maybe not fully in a moment, but I mean, oh God.
Already better. Um, so here is something I get a question asked to me quite often, right? It's like, what should I be doing about vocal health? And I have talked about some of the things that I have done. Over the, over the time of doing the podcast and what I have really been doing in my career. But, you know, over the last few years there's, there's been a couple new things like, you know, there's singer sprays that are very helpful that I have relied on sometimes to really just even push through what is like today, which is a Friday.
And it's like after a week of doing just an incessant amount of, of vocal work like. Yeah, I am, I'm strained and I know that, and I can't help it. Like, you know, I'm not like the normal, like, oh, I have an audiobook that I'm gonna do and I can do it on my time and break it up throughout the day. And that's it, that's all I'm doing.
Um, you know, I'm, I'm just like nonstop talking because I have, I don't even know, I think it's like 13 jobs right now. And one of them might, might be getting extended. So like one of the radio shows I'm doing is gonna go, I think from two hours a day to five. Which I know sounds like a lot. It, it doesn't take me all that much more work.
It's just, it's just more money and that's what I need. Uh, honestly. 'cause then maybe, maybe just, maybe I won't be so strained. Um, but it's just challenging between, you know, seasons changing and all that kind of stuff. So like I've relied on singer sprays. I know my body. I know I'm not getting enough sleep that is also most likely a part of my problem.
Uh, but I've had many issues since we ended up in that pandemic. You know, I've talked about it before. I had a concussion that has led to now a couple years later dealing with some serious neck pain. There are nights I just can't get comfortable and can I tell you, even consulting a lawyer, they're like, yeah, we can't take your case.
I'm like, um, I have a legitimate problem. Um. How do people play the system? I don't understand. I have an actual issue. Um, but, um, whatever, maybe I should contact somebody else. Uh, so like, there are a number of things that you need to kind of take into consideration. Like do you have allergies? Do you regularly take, you know, the allergy medicine if you don't?
Guess what, it's not gonna work very well. You can't just pop a couple pills and expect all of your allergy symptoms to just mar like miraculously go away. That's not how it works. It's gotta continuously be in your system. So like I know those things about myself, right? And I know I gotta continuously drink water.
I do that. But again, there are gonna be points in your life that you're just like overused and overworked and overtired and just overstrained. And that's where I've been. I'm gonna take another sip of my tea 'cause this is what you gotta do. Oh God. It's the best thing ever. Um, so here is what has been brought to my attention most recently because while I am strained right now, this is nothing if, like, if you, and you think you heard me last week, that was, I don't know when I recorded that episode.
It was not last week. Uh, if you had actually heard me last week on like Thursday or Friday. I was not sure how I was going to maneuver my days because I'm like, if, if this is what I am just going to continue to wake up to, I'm screwed. Like there goes the, there goes the paycheck, there goes the livelihood, there goes the feeling like I'm retired most of the time because of the flexibility of my days.
Um. And I was, I was starting to get a little nervous. I'm like, do I have to go to an ENT? Like, you can feel it in your throat. And it's like the worst thing ever because there's not, like, once you get to this point, there's not a whole lot that you can do. Like vocal rest is key. And when I don't have to talk, I really don't like, I just, I zip my lips.
My fiance is probably like, do you hate me? And in reality it's like, no, but if I try to speak to you right now, you're gonna think I'm crying or something. Um, like I'm broken and part of me probably is broken. Um, you know, it's, it's really, rest is key and I just, I can't get a lot of it. And, and not consistently anyway.
I almost feel like I need like two solid months off and that's just never gonna happen. Right. So. I started asking some friends, you know, is there anything else that, that you do to help a scenario like this? Because like, let's face it, like what happens too is like, I know a lot of people right now that are sick and what lingers the longest?
It's, it's like that hoarseness, it's the, it's the nasal, it's, it's all like upper respiratory kind of stuff. All of a sudden, there it is in my Facebook dms, my lovely friend Erin, who I feel awful for because she was a part of the Odyssey Cuts, um, you know, one of the radio companies, I, I mentioned it on the pod a couple weeks ago, again, just devastating.
Um, she's the one who slipped into my dms and she's like, Mar, you gotta try Manuka honey. And I was like, excuse me, Manuka honey, what the heck is that? I've never heard of a very specific, does it come in a bear? Like what? Um, and she was like, it's, it's outta New Zealand. It's a little pricey. And the higher MGO number the better.
And I was like. I don't know what any of that means, but I will go and I will search and she's like, you can get it on Amazon, you can get it at Whole Foods. I'm like, cool. I'm going tomorrow. And I get in the car the next day and I'm literally on my way. Like I had to stop at the doctor appointment that I had and then boom, I'm heading to uh, whole Foods and it's a good thing that I have my sound, my sound on.
'cause otherwise I would've totally missed out on her message. 'cause she hit me up again. She's like, ma. I, I'm at Home Goods right now and I'm in their food section. They've got Manuka Honey and you're gonna, it's gonna be like a third of the price that you're gonna pay over at Whole Foods. I'm like, oh sweet.
Jesus. Thank you. Um, so, 'cause like obviously finance is for everybody. We're all trying to penny pinch, so. I happen to be like in the direction where sure, whole Foods was not far, but Marshall's was also not far. And I was like, all right, we're stopping at Marshalls first. That's a, you know, sister store or whatever of, uh, home Goods.
They're like the same thing. Let's go and see what I find. And I'm looking for the label that she showed me and I wasn't finding it. I'm like, oh no, like I'm gonna have to pay $50 and I'm just gonna suck it up and it's gonna be fine. I'm gonna test this stuff out and it's probably gonna be magical. And then there it was right there in Marshall's.
Forget this, $12 and 99 cents. I got, um, I guess this is like 8.82 ounces. It is the Aurora Honey Company. It says New Zealand raw, multi floral, Manuka honey, MGO 100 plus. And. Can I tell you, I grabbed this thing so fast, I went up to that counter and I, I, the moment I got home, I grabbed a spoon and I just downed honey.
Now you might be thinking, is that how you're supposed to do it, Marissa? And I was wondering the same thing at first. 'cause I was like, oh God, I don't know how this is gonna taste. I don't know. And I did the whole like, pinch your nose and swallow and just hope for the best and it. Actually, you can do it that way.
It's a teaspoon that you want to take and you can do it like three times a day or something like that. And, um, from then on out though, I, I started putting it in my throat coat tea. So I'm like, look at that. A little too fur. And you know, that's what I'm drinking right now. And clearly I still sound like I sound, but it was so bad last week that my mom was concerned.
And like my mom has heard me at my worst and I think she finally realized. Maybe she hadn't heard me at my worst. Um, so this was like, just like a miracle. 'cause I did it and I, I think I was maybe like, it was like three doses in and I, I felt like a new human. Like right now, I don't really feel like a new human.
I feel like I need some rest and I like, just need to get to the weekend officially and like just go ahead and, uh, you know, maybe don't talk for 48 hours. That will be like my Sunday to Tuesday. Um, but, uh, no, in the meantime, like this, this, putting this in my tea is. It's just like a lifesaver because I don't know where I would be right now without it.
Like if I think about how bad I was last week and the fact that I'm not nearly as bad right now, I, I, I know that it's doing its job. Um, I. Thank God for bees in New Zealand. Right. But, you know, people ask me all the time, they're like, you know, what do you do? What do you do for like vocal warmups and whatever?
And like, I'm not somebody who does any crazy anything. And maybe I should start, but like, I just, I don't know. I, I'm kind of like. I don't know. I'm like a grumpy old person. I'm stuck in my waist. I'm like, get off my lawn. Uh, you know, but I, I do try to do the right thing. Like I try to be a healthy human. I have been getting back on the treadmill.
I do a really, really heavy cardio for like 15 solid minutes, if not longer, every, almost every day. And, um, you know, that really helps condition my lungs for my asthma and that helps in my vocal performance. Um, you know, I do try to stay as hydrated as possible. And I, and now, you know, now it's Manuka honey.
It's like part of my daily routine. And that is gonna be the case I think for a minute until I can really, you know, potentially get some good downtime, uh, as the summer approaches and stuff. But, you know, I wanted to make sure I passed along because I'm 20 years into my career. This is the first time anybody has mentioned this to me.
And apparently this is something that singers will use and whatever. And I have Googled stuff before. And never once did I see this specific honey. Like I've seen people, oh, put tea, you know, put honey in your tea. And I'm like, yeah, the one in the bear, this isn't a bear. This is just in a jar, like, you know, in like a plastic little thing.
And, um, and it is just such a godsend. So again, it's Manuka, M-A-N-U-K-A honey, Manuka honey. And the higher the number MGO, the. Better is what I've been told. And I am not getting paid to do this. This is me paying it forward because I'm just telling you like, I like my, my body's been through some stuff over the years, you know, it's like I literally could have died with swine flu and my voice has been kind of messed up ever since.
That was 2009. Um, so I am more susceptible to losing it. And, um, yeah, I mean, you know, you add in any of the other illness that I've had in between, whether it was like, um. Bronchitis, like some, like, uh, the flu, um, any kind of pneumonia, um, you know, COVID like, you know, we, we all battle something at some point, and it doesn't have to be vocal strain.
It could literally be that you are just trying to get yourself. Out of whatever you just had and you still have inflammation happening, you know, in, in your throat and in, in your upper, you know, whatever. Like, it's gonna help. I promise you. It's got like the, the, uh, you know, whole, uh, anti, you know, swelling or whatever, and it just, I, I am like, out of words.
It's so good. So. That's really all I wanted to make sure that you knew about right now, right here on this first Spring Friday. Um, and I really hope that you're also feeling a little bit, um, you know, more sane now that there's more s. Sun and warmer temps and, uh, I think we, we all needed that at this point.
Uh, coming up next week, I'm gonna have, uh, an interview with somebody that I just had as a student who is just a, a really, really cool guy. Um, so I'm hoping I can get that all situated this week. He was supposed to be on today, but, you know, things happen. So, uh, we'll have another episode. Brand new coming.
If you've got anything you want, discuss [email protected] and you can hit me up, uh, with any of your voiceover related questions. Maybe you've got questions about Manuka Honey, I pretty much told you everything I know here and now, but I will. Go forth and try to prosper a little bit and help you out even more.
But feel free to, uh, hit me up and I'll talk to you next week. Everybody be safe. Please visit voice coaches.com for more voiceover news and information.
This week on Voice Coaches Radio, Marissa talks about how incredibly helpful this tidbit was to find out and how unbelievable it is that in 20 years of being in the industry she hadn’t heard of the healing properties of this type of honey. It could help you, too!
