Speaking Of... Conversations on Voice, Speech, and Identity with Ryan O'Shea

On this episode of Speaking Of... I’m speaking with singer and actor Ana Lorena Sánchez about how she got into acting and her relationship with her voice.

Ana wanted to know: How does our ancestors’ experience of their voice affect ours?

We then dive into a fascinating conversation about generational trauma and why women are often silenced. We talk about why so many people are disconnected from the power of their voice – which resides in the gut and diaphragm – and the workarounds many people develop to overcome this disconnection.

Ana and I also walk through some practical breathing exercises that can make you feel more grounded and connected to your feelings when speaking in public or performing. We wrap up by touching on the practice of structuring your voice and talk about the intimate connection between your body and your speech.

And, if you’re in LA in June, come join me for a weekend intensive workshop on the principles of Fitzmaurice Voicework. You can learn more about the workshop and register here!
You can find complete show notes and links to everything we mentioned in the episode at https://www.voiceandspeechwithryan.com/podcast

In this episode, I’m joined my friend, Dominick Bailey. Dominick is an actor, dancer, writer, and clinical pharmacist who asked the question, “How do I manipulate the volume of my voice?” Most of the time that I talk to clients about volume, it’s because they’re wondering how to have more volume, but Dominick asked the question because he’s sometimes gotten the feedback that he’s too loud. We talked about the ways in which our volume might be involuntarily affected by various circumstances, and I offered Dominick some tools to give him a better sense of how to consciously adjust his volume.
You can find complete show notes and links to everything we’ve mentioned in the episode on https://www.voiceandspeechwithryan.com/podcast.

On this episode of Speaking Of... I’m joined by one of my oldest and dearest friends, Brandon Piper. In this episode, Brandon asked the question, “Why do we make assumptions about people’s race based on how they sound?” We talk about the technicalities of accent including the dialect, African American Vernacular of English, and what linguists have to say about his question, but we also talked about our personal experiences related to the biases and assumptions we experience in our own lives.
You can find complete show notes and links to everything we’ve mentioned in the episode on https://www.voiceandspeechwithryan.com/podcast.

In this episode of Speaking Of... I’m joined by my friend and colleague, Helena Walsh. Helena has a thriving voice studio in Dublin, Ireland, though her teaching covers so much more than voice. One of Helena’s current class offerings is called “The Actor’s Practice,” a 10 week advanced actor training practice using Fitzmaurice Voicework, Organic Intelligence and other leading voice and body methods. The class aims to “build resilience in the mind & body so that the imagination can be free to create a more energized and vibrant sense of self, character & storytelling. This resilience will make it easier to risk in life, in an audition, in the rehearsal room, on set & on stage.” Helena is a brilliant teacher and mentor, and I took the opportunity to ask Helena about how she developed her class, and what practices she recommends actors develop regardless of where they are in their career.
You can find complete show notes and links to everything we’ve mentioned in the episode on https://www.voiceandspeechwithryan.com/podcast.

On this episode of Speaking Of... I’m joined by my friend, actor-writer-photographer-editor, Jessica Barrett Denison aka Jess. Jess asked the question, “When I shut down, how do I come back?” The way I reframed Jess’ question was “How can I help myself be more present when I feel overwhelmed?” Her question is relatable to performers, especially if you ever have a feeling being “stuck” when the performance isn’t going the way you think it “should” be. And it’s also relevant for anyone with any degree of social anxiety. In the episode, we talk about some tools and concepts for helping you get present with what matters, whether you’re in performance or in conversation.
You can find complete show notes and links to everything we’ve mentioned in the episode on https://www.voiceandspeechwithryan.com/podcast.