Habits and Hustle - Episode 445: Amy Chapman: How Voice Control Techniques Can Transform Your Life and Career
Episode Date: April 29, 2025Ever wonder how some voices can captivate audiences? In this Habits and Hustle podcast episode, I am joined by Amy Chapman, a highly sought-after vocal therapist who has worked with stars like Shakira..., Sia, and Anthony Kiedis. We discuss how anyone can harness vocal techniques to sound more authoritative, likable, or persuasive depending on their objectives. We also explore the psychological connection between voice and confidence, why "down talk" commands more respect than "up talk," and how simple adjustments in your speaking patterns can dramatically change how people perceive you. Amy Chapman is a board-certified speech-language pathologist who combines clinical expertise with artistic experience. Her career spans television, music, and corporate settings, where she helps clients optimize their voice health, expand their range, and enhance their performance. She's also the lead voice coach for "The Masked Singer" and works with CEOs and business leaders to improve their communication effectiveness. What We Discuss: (00:00) Confidence and Self-Worth (19:55) Voice Training for Artists and Professionals (27:50) Voice Influence on Perception and Outcomes (32:16) Voice Dynamics and Communication Mastery (41:18) Mastering Voice Techniques for Engagement (47:13) Effective Communication Through Vocal Training (52:43) Developing Warmth and Authentic Communication (58:43) Embracing Authenticity and Self-Presentation (01:11:44) Morning Routine as Meditative Practice …and more! Thank you to our sponsors: Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off TruNiagen: Head over to truniagen.com and use code HUSTLE20 to get $20 off any purchase over $100. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout. Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers. Bio.me: Link to daily prebiotic fiber here, code Jennifer20 for 20% off. Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off Find more from Jen: Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagement Find more from Amy Chapman: Website: https://www.voicelabla.com/#home Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amychapman/?hl=en
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Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it!
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Today on the podcast, we have my very new friend. Her name is Amy Chapman. And this girl is,
first of all, the best personality ever. But besides that, she is the, I don't even know what we call, the biggest voice coach
guru expert on the planet.
And when I read off and riddle off her resume, you'll understand what I mean.
Listen to this.
She is a highly sought after vocal therapist, renowned singing voice specialist, and leading
expert in voice optimization.
With an unparalleled combination of clinical expertise
and artistic experience,
Amy has built a remarkable career
transforming the voices of some of the world's
most celebrated performers.
As a licensed and board certified
speech language pathologist,
she brings a deep scientific understanding of vocal
health and physiology to her work. Listen to some of her clients guys. Amy's
career spans a diverse range of industries from television to Tory
music artists where she's worked with some major stars like Shakira, Sia,
Meghan Trainor, Idina Menzel, Anthony Kiedis, my personal favorite, and so many others.
She's helped these global icons optimize their voice health, expand their range, enhance
their performance, and prevent vocal strain.
And I can go on and on.
She's also like the lead voice coach for that show, the mask singer.
I mean, there's so many things.
It's unbelievable.
And when I met you, the fact, like how many
things I've learned, I learned so much in that one conversation when I first met you,
that I had to have you on this show. So thanks for being here.
I'm so happy to be here. And it gets me so excited every time somebody reads that. I'm
like, God, I'm so cool. I'm like, God, it is good, but I am such a high self-esteem
anyway.
I love that.
Yes, good job, Amy.
You know what's amazing? I love that you don't feign, like, you know,
compliments like that because so many times people sit here and they're like,
oh, like they try to feign humility, right? Like, oh, you're like, no, I am this shit.
Like, I've done all this stuff. I've like, have a huge career. I've done it, I'm doing it, and you own it.
You know what?
When we talk about, I know we're gonna talk about
confident voice and all that,
but I think with the confidence,
the self-esteem is so huge.
And in my office, in my studio that I have people,
I always say, this is a brag-friendly zone.
I want no humility whatsoever.
If you sounded good, be like, yes, I sounded good. Because when we start to do the like,
that wasn't so good.
And then you're like, ew.
I totally agree.
Nobody wants to be with that.
I don't know why it's also like a very like women,
women do that, right?
They always like, no, no, like they wanna be smaller
than they really are.
And if they're good, they have to apologize for being good.
Oh, I don't apologize for being good.
Apparently not.
No, no, you're like, keep on pleading.
I'm like, there's more.
Go to the next paragraph.
I know, you're probably like,
you left out a few lines there, Jennifer, why?
I've got a few more, who do you want to hear?
No, yeah.
We're so taught to be like,
humility and humble pie, but like, why?
I don't know. You know, you said, I always wonder this and I ask this a pie, but like, why? I don't know. Why?
You know, you said something, I always wonder this
and I ask this a lot like to myself, right?
Like what is the true difference
between self-esteem and confidence, right?
Do you know what the difference is?
Yes.
Okay, tell me.
Confidence is like you're confident
in your ability to do something.
Self-esteem is your worth.
That's right.
So you can have one and not the other.
Like a football player can be like,
I'm confident in the way that I can throw this ball,
but I don't like myself.
But if you like yourself and you can throw that ball,
you're winning all around.
You know, I don't even know, how does someone even,
I know we haven't even gotten into the voice stuff yet,
but like, this is one of these topics that I talk about a lot because it's like,
how do you truly teach somebody to have a sense of self-worth or self-esteem? Because you're right,
confidence, you could be, you can feel confident. It's also like, it's fluid. You could be confident
one day because you feel confident that you can do one particular thing and then something happens
or you can't, you don't feel confident the next day. But true self-worth,
that is hard to teach somebody. Either you kind of have it or you kind of don't,
but do, or in my opinion,
but do you think there's ways we can help or, or teach that to people?
Totally. I mean, like if we think of our own self-talk of like,
that wasn't good, that wasn't so
great, I don't look so good.
Every day I look in the mirror and I do, you know, the first, I had once a therapist who
was like, you need to do the self-talk and like tell yourself the positive things and
my eyes rolled so far back in my head.
I was like, I'm not, I'm not going to do that.
Like I'm not going to sit and be like, you're beautiful, you're smart, and someone likes you.
I'm not gonna do that.
Oh God, neither would I, 100%.
It's so awkward.
It's so awkward.
But if you're telling yourself that over and over and over,
and you're like, girl, you're hot, you are doing great,
you are amazing, your personality is good,
look at your life, if you just tell yourself that,
it's that fake until you make it.
Yeah.
You'll start to fall in line and be like, I am hot.
I am hot. My body is great. I am successful.
You listen.
So the way I agree, but I think the way I would always define it is
if you want to have true self-worth, do things for yourself
that make you really feel truly good about yourself.
Sure.
For me, it was like exercise and working out. When I took that seriously,
it taught me such foundational skills about life. Like fitness for me was like a microcosm
for real life, like the patience, the discipline. And when you start like honing in on these like
foundational skills and you know you can actually get through hard things, it gives you self-esteem.
Sure. That's to me what I felt. I'm like, I work out all the time, so I know I have an okay body.
So why am I going to pretend that I don't think so? You know what I mean?
Yeah. You're like, no, I work at it. Yeah. This is not-
I earned this. I earned this.
Yeah. So I think when someone feels like they work for something and they take action to get
something, that helps them with their self-esteem as well.
I think that's big.
I think also like working on whatever it is, however you do it.
So whether it's working out, which I wish I could say the same that I work out every
single day, I don't, but I work every single day.
And that's the thing that I'm like, I'm good at this because I do this day in, day out.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah. Like so because you were, when you were younger, were you just, were you a singer?
I was a singer, yeah.
So you were like an artist who was just-
I wouldn't call myself an artist.
Okay, what would you call yourself?
A singer. So there's such a difference-
Okay, tell me.
Between an artist and a singer. A singer is like someone who can sing. An artist is,
there's an artistry behind it. So I would look at someone like Amy Winehouse,
be like, you're an artist.
Like you see that difference of someone who's like,
she's doing her own thing.
She has that brand, that style.
And then someone else, I don't even want to say like,
like I think Ariana Grande is a wonderful singer.
And some people would call her an artist,
but I'm like, you're a great singer.
And your art is in that voice of that beautiful sounder. Maybe like Taylor Swift is a good
one.
That's a great example of art. Let's stick to the Ariana because I was listening to her
on a podcast and I thought to myself kind of, she said that she writes her own music.
I didn't know that she did, but by the way, I thought she just had a beautiful voice and that people write her music. I didn't, I don't know one way or the other. Maybe
you know. Sometimes it's a mix of both. Okay. But I think it becomes a mix of both when you're a huge
star. Right. So, but I always thought that she was a great, she had a beautiful voice that made her a
great singer, but you're right. I never looked at her as an artist. She didn't come across. Yeah.
Is there a difference between an artist, a singer, and a star?
Or is a star and an artist the same thing?
No, because you can be an artist and not be a star.
Right?
Yeah, that's 100% true.
You can be like a fantastic artist,
but nobody knows you or very few people know you,
so you're not a star level.
And you can be an awesome singer and not an artist.
You can be an awesome artist and not really a singer. So Ariana would be more of a star level. And you can be an awesome singer and not an artist. You can be an awesome artist and not really a singer.
So Ariana would be more of a star.
She's a star, she's a singer.
And you know what?
Some people are gonna watch this and be like,
Amy, you're wrong, she is an artist.
And I think that is completely subjective
if someone's an artist or not.
And then you go back to the question,
you're like, well, what is art?
What makes somebody an artist?
Like Taylor Swift, you were gonna say something about her.
I was gonna say Taylor Swift to me,
I'm like, you are a singer, you are a star,
and some people will call you an artist,
but I'm like, I call you a singer.
And a great singer.
Why? So why?
Why would she not be an artist?
Because nothing to me personally,
I'm gonna get so much shit for this.
You'll never get hired by them ever.
I know, I'm so sorry. Her people even like reached out to me recently, and I'm like, now so much shit for this. You'll never get hired by them ever. I know, I'm so sorry.
Her people even like reached out to me recently and I'm like, now they'll never.
Now they're going to hire someone else, someone completely else.
I'm really shooting myself in the foot.
My husband was like, watch your mouth when you go on the show.
I'm like, I can't.
I can't.
Things just come out.
By the way, which makes you even more likable.
Because I'm just like, I'm so sorry.
It's coming and I'm not going to stop it.
To me, I'm like, you're great.
And like, that's what you are.
But what, okay, so if someone-
I'm not thrown back and excited and like, ooh,
when I hear someone like an Amy Winehouse
or like, I'm trying to think of like
all the different people at the Grammys
and I'm like, oh, that was different.
That was art.
Okay, so that's okay.
So this is very interesting because Taylor Swift, right?
She writes her own music.
Maybe now she does, like she has a million people who collaborate with her,
right, herself, but that was like her whole thing.
She was a singer songwriter, right?
Doesn't, I thought if someone's a songwriter and they're a performer, that
kind of create, makes them more of an artist.
Yeah.
And they are an artist. I'm really just giving my all.
But I see what you're saying because the truth is when I think of like an artist,
I think of someone who's more, there's more darkness there.
Darkness, a creativeness. Like I look at Sia and I'm like, oh, you are an artist.
And you're a singer and you're a star. You're all of those things.
Yes. Is it because there's like a uniqueness to them?
Something, it's different.
You see it and you're like, that's art, that is different.
You're creating a whole other path for you
and that you're portraying that.
Right, and like nobody could, can copy it really,
cause there's only gonna be one Sia.
Yeah, cause then you'll be like, oh, you sound like Sia.
Right.
You know, like you have a brand, you have that art,
you are, put your stamp on it and it's you. And you've worked with heria. Right. You know, like you have a brand, you have that art, you are put your stamp on it and
it's you.
And you've worked with her before.
And so like, how does an artist, like how do you work with an artist versus just a singer?
Is there a difference?
Yes.
And every artist is different.
You're an artist.
I'm an artist, but not an artist in my singing.
I know you think you're a singer.
Yeah, like sure I have a little bit of style when I sing, yes,
but I'm not like, ooh, I created my own thing
and this is my art and I need to, yeah, it's not like that.
My art is how I work with people.
Right, I understand that.
I know we're gonna get back to it,
but I'm curious, we just talked about Sia.
So like working with an artist like her,
what's, like how do you work with her
versus a singer or a star?
So I would, with a singer, I'd mold them.
I'd be like, I'm gonna tell you what to do.
You're gonna do this riff,
you're gonna change your voice this way,
make this sound like this.
I will give artists, I will give singers coaching,
and artists, I will give support.
So I'm not gonna tell Sia where
to put her voice and how to do her riff. That's her thing. But I will tell her
the things to optimize what she does. So a lot of people come to me especially
with like nodules or vocal difficulties or something going on with their voice
since I am a voice therapist. I work and I treat the voice.
But I'm not going to change them.
Meaning, I'm not going to say like,
don't sing breathy and husky like that anymore.
Sing clean and clear, even though that would be better for their voice,
it would be healthier.
I'm not going to do that because I'm not going to change you as an artist.
And I think that's why a lot of artists like me,
because I'm not trying to change them.
A lot of other voice therapists,
and I'm not saying they're doing anything wrong,
everybody has their own style,
will be like, that's not healthy.
So sing it a little bit more clear and a little bit
more pingy and a little bit more right there.
They're like, no, I don't want to, I'm an artist.
This is my thing.
I sing it like this.
So how can I do it like this, but healthier?
That's how I would be different
with an artist versus a singer.
So you were a singer, tell me,
so let's get back to you for a minute now.
Because you were a singer, no, I'm an artist.
So how did you, what was your evolution?
Because given your personality,
you seem to have the package.
I heard you sing with my mom earlier.
You were singing like opera.
Yeah, I trained in opera when I was a kid.
That's how I started is classically singing.
And I was like, this is so much fun.
And then I went to a performing arts high school
and it was so much fun.
And obviously I'm a performer, you can see it in me.
I don't stop.
Yeah. And I love it.
And then I went to UCLA for musical theater.
And there was a certain point,
I had a master class with Diane Keaton,
and she said, if you can do anything else in this world, do it.
I was like, I can do a lot of things.
I come from a very medical family,
and they're all healers.
My dad's a doctor, my mom's a nurse,
my brother-in-law's a doctor, my cousin's a doctor,
like everybody's doctor is in my family.
And I love to heal.
I love to teach, I love to heal,
I love to take care of people,
and I also love music and voice.
And then I put it all together.
I was like, I can take that and help that
and be a voice healer.
And then it turns into coaching
because no one wants to be injured.
No one likes to be injured.
So it's all about the coaching.
And every singer who's a professional singer
is like a little bit injured
because you're using your voice so much.
It's just like every football player has a bum knee
or a back hurt or something.
When you are an athlete of whatever it is,
your body takes a toll.
You need someone to have support.
So then it started going into that.
And the way that I just, I work with voice,
I hear voice, I feel voice, and
I really intuit what people are doing. And it just built my reputation of that, of doing
that. So I went to, after that I went to school for speech pathology.
Okay. Yeah.
Got a master's in speech pathology, started working with really injured singers, and then
it just sort of blended to all voice. I work in animated voice. I help people make sounds.
I help people like who have like help people who have funny little voices
and they do funny things.
I help them shape their voice, I work on Rick and Morty,
I help the new Rick and Morty characters sound like the old Rick and Morty
because I can hear and I can feel what people are doing with their voice
and what they need to be doing with their voice.
So that's so fascinating, right?
So your path is very unique, right?
Or is it not?
Do most people who do what you do who are voice coaches and voice experts, were they
usually singers prior?
Yeah, I would say pretty much every voice teacher and voice coach was a singer at some
point.
It's a weird profession to go into if you weren't a singer.
Or how many people who become a voice pathologist,
not pathologist, what is it called?
Yeah, voice therapist, voice pathologist.
Yeah, voice therapist, pathologist go into voice coaching.
Not that many.
Right.
There are not that many voice therapists.
Like this is a very niche and then I took it even more niche.
So like
I am really, really right there. But I brought it so far to the niche point that then I expanded
it out to not niche. Like everybody's got a voice.
Right. And then you just help them. You help them. So how did you get like, I'm obsessed
with Anthony Kiedis, but because I just think that he's so, he's an artist.
He's an artist.
Right?
Yeah.
How did you get into that lane of working with some of these, the biggest names in the
world like Shakira, Anthony Kiedis, whoever?
A lot of times the managers will find me.
How? What was the first time?
I think Sia was the first time and I signed a lot of NDAs for a lot of things so I can't
talk about like-
Too late now.
I know, well, they're fine,
but I can't talk about everybody
and why they come to me for certain things.
But they'll find me if they're going on tour
and they just need some tour training
and my name is floated around there.
You know, I think managers and tour managers all know
and they're like, cool,
my client's about to do a big year long tour.
They're having maybe some issues or we just wanna make sure and they're like, cool, my client's about to do a big year long tour. They're having maybe some issues or we just want to make sure that they're strong so we
don't cancel shows.
So can you work with them before?
And then they meet me and they're like, okay, I like you.
And they just keep me on for life.
What I always am curious about like even watching the Grammys, right?
How do these people run around for out like and sing at the same time?
I know that's probably most of it slips,
there's like a voice track behind,
but for the artists who are really artists
and they're going on tour for two hours,
how are they able to like sing and then dance
at the same time?
Do you train them?
I have an elliptical in my office.
You do?
Yeah, I do.
And it's so people can sing and breathe and huff and puff and sing all at the same time.
But yeah, cardio is a big part of it.
I remember Nicole Scherzinger, I was working out beside me many, many years ago, and she
was running and singing at the same time to learn how to train herself.
Yup.
Right?
Beyonce does the same thing.
She runs in... Miley Cyrus does the same thing.
Yeah.
They run and sing at the same thing.
Yep. Yep.
Because you need to train your voice
to be able to come together while you're like,
so you're doing that.
So yeah, it's all the training.
How else do you control your voice?
How else do you teach people
to control their voice like that?
I mean, breath, breath support, bringing a big wide breath and not letting it all out.
So the big wide, spread your rib cage out and hold your breath and then be able to talk,
both not just not letting it all out. So keeping that support.
And like an Adina, who's like massive, right? So she's frozen, she's all these things.
Can you tell me why you're going to,
that's where you're going right now to do New York.
She's doing a show,
opening a new Broadway musical called Redwoods.
It's fantastic.
And yeah, just helping her prepare for that,
making sure that she's gonna stay strong throughout
because Broadway is a whole different beast.
You have to do eight shows a week.
Right.
So she's singing eight shows a week.
And so I'm making sure that her voice is strong, that she can do all these things with a lot
of this stuff.
So A, we're training her voice that's like muscle coming together.
How do you train a voice?
Like what do you, how does it work?
Give me like, if I go to the gym, I'm going to train my legs, I'm going to do my squats
and my lunges and do all those things.
Like, you know, I know how to train my, you know, going to do my squats and my lunges and do all those things. I know how to train your body.
How do you train your voice?
Just by practicing.
Practicing in very specific exercises.
If somebody has a weaker voice or their voice is like a little bit breathy and they sort
of talk like this, I will give them a hard exercise like, ah, hold that, right?
Just holding a long, hard ah, go up the scale,
it's muscles, your vocal cords are the size of your thumbnail.
Do you know that?
So teeny tiny.
And all it is is little tissue.
And then there's muscles on the side,
so you bring it together.
So I will have a soft voice like that.
Ah, give that really big, loud sound,
but not in a place where they're screaming
and hurting themselves, but something that's really nice and supported. And then if somebody
has a voice that's too hard and too rough, then I'm going to take it down. And I'll be like,
okay, now for you, it's different. We're all so different. Everybody's vocal cords look different.
Everybody's body's different. Everybody's throat, everybody's mouth, everybody's size.
Everybody's so different. So there's not one way how to do everything.
Okay. But if someone, because a lot of times people's voice are strained because they're caught, like you said, distraught.
Like she's doing eight shows on Broadway. Right.
Or people are like Anthony Kiedis who's screaming and yelling for five hours once he's performing, don't they just, if you're training them, don't they just need recovery
and just to not sing and not talk?
Well, that's a part of it sometimes.
And sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's like,
no, you need the strength to be able to do that.
Right, how do you strengthen a voice?
Exactly that. So if I'm going, ah, or ah.
But isn't he doing ah for five hours?
No, because when you're performing,
it's a little different.
You're singing things and bouncing off walls and doing something else.
But if you're sitting there, it's just the same as lifting weights.
You're lifting weights, but with your voice.
So you're sitting there and you're holding it and you're holding it in the right place.
All your muscles are coming together in the right place.
So then all of a sudden you're out and you're like, oh, now I can just do whatever and I
have that strength.
Like you work out, you do sit-ups,
so then you have nice abs when you're out on the beach.
It's the same.
Not if you eat really badly, but okay, go on.
Well, that's why I'm not wearing a bikini on the beach.
Yeah.
But you do that.
You train your voice with strength exercises
or taking away strength exercises. You're not screaming on stage. So you're doing something else and your vocal cords are coming together
softer. So you don't need that much recovery time.
How do you, okay, so how would you for a regular person who's not an artist, pop star or singer,
just like a regular business person, mom, whoever, how
can they optimize their voice in any way?
Like if I want to sound more serious and more authoritative, how do I train my voice to
be that way?
How do I train my voice like that video that you just said, right?
Like what, like I hired a speech therapist to fix my boring voice.
Yeah.
So how does someone fix their boring voice?
So the sound better.
I want to answer this.
And I also want to ask you a question.
Go ahead.
What voice do you like?
What do you like to listen to?
In general?
Yeah.
If there's a person you like or a sound that you're like,
Oh, okay.
I like, I do like Sia.
It can even be a speaking voice.
Doesn't have to be a singing voice.
What kind of voice do I like?
Yeah.
Is there somebody that you're like, I love to listen to them or on the contrary,
is there somebody that you hate to listen to?
I have a lot of people I hate listening to.
I can name a hundred right now.
You know, I like listening to people who have an English accent or an Australian accent.
Love an accent.
Right, me too.
And who kind of comes, who has a softness.
I don't want a hardcore voice
because I'm around it all the time.
Totally, right?
What does it do to you?
I don't know, I guess I never thought about it.
Actually, let me change my answer.
The voice I would like depends on what
I'm listening to it for.
So if I am looking for someone to help me with business,
I'd want them to sound self-assured and confident.
If I'm trying to chill out or relax and fall asleep,
I would like a soft
soothing voice.
Totally.
Totally.
So everything is different for everything.
For every situation, I want a different voice.
Like you said, when I listened to your podcast, because I did a lot of listening to your podcast
before I came on this.
Did you?
Okay.
And you have Tony Robbins, who's giving a clip right before and he goes, you're listening
to Happens and Hustle, crush it.
And I'm like, oh.
Like it's like, it hurts me to hear that.
And obviously Tony's very successful.
He knows what he's doing, but his voice, that rough,
he's like yelling at, he's like, go, go, go.
He's a motivational speaker.
That is what he does.
And that voice tells me that he works hard,
that he goes and goes and goes and doesn't stop,
that he doesn't care necessarily about that softness
and that bringing that in.
He wants you to go.
So he's influencing with his voice,
with that ruff and da, da, da, for you to go.
He is like your coach. He's your soccer coach, your football coach.
He's like, go, go, go, go, go.
But if I'm doing a yoga class, I'd be like, nah, bro, I can't.
I can't listen to that right now. It like gives me this.
So your voice influences the same way if you're listening to music.
When I got into the car to get here, they were playing classical music.
And I told my driver, I was like, this is exactly what I needed right now because my
life has been so crazy.
I'm heading out to New York right after this.
I'm packing, I'm doing all the things.
And I just wanted that classical music.
But if she had like rock and it was going and it was hard, I'd be like, no, I don't
need that.
It's the same with voice.
It influences our body in a different way.
Yeah.
So if somebody is like, how can I optimize my voice?
I want to take it a step further and say, optimize it for what?
What do you want people to feel when they're listening to you?
If you're a mom, like you said, if just a mom, who's she talking to?
She telling her kids to clean their room?
Is she trying to assert her dominance in something?
Like what is the situation that you were trying to get a certain outcome?
So for me, right now, in my mind, I want to tell you I'm a pro at this.
I know what I'm doing.
I know how I'm a pro at this. I know what I'm doing. I know how I'm sounding.
And my objective in this is to sound confident
and knowledgeable.
And so when I want to sound more confident
and knowledgeable, I'm not all the way over here.
I'm not like dragging my voice long.
I'm a little bit more to the point.
And I'm a little lower in my pitch
and I'm not going up talk.
So my voice isn't going up, but I'm a little lower in my pitch and I'm not going up talk, so my voice isn't
going up, but I'm a little bit more down talk. So the end of my sounds all go down. So it's
a comment, not a question, but a comment. So it's different. Every single outcome is
based on your objective. That makes sense.
Great answer. I want to clip that.
Clip that. I gave a lot to clip about.
That was perfect. That was a great, that's a great. So when you wanna sound more dominant or authoritative,
you, your voice should go down.
Yes, that's a huge thing.
You hear so many people and not everybody knows why
they have a feeling of that person
is not making me comfortable.
But if I hear somebody and her voice is like this
and she's saying, hi Jen, I'm Amy,
and I'm a voice coach, and I sometimes,
like you're like, enough, I can't, right?
You don't take them seriously.
I would tell them, I would say, number one,
is it a question?
Because a question goes up at the end, right?
Yeah.
Huh?
You hear that.
And immediately, I question.
And if I'm questioning something that somebody else is saying,
I don't have confidence in that.
That just like flies out the window.
Yeah.
But if she goes down, so now I'm going
to take that same kind of pinch small voice,
and I'm going to say, hi, I'm Amy.
And I do this.
You're like, OK, that's a little better.
And then that pinch right in here,
I'm like, that's too small. I want to show big. And kids are small. And we hear kids
voices in a different way. They're children. They're small. They're little. So it's all
little. When I tell people, I say, open your throat. We have so much space that we don't
always use. So then I open my throat. If you hear pitch, this note, ah, ah, that's the same note.
But the second one sounds so much lower, right?
You hear it in your brain.
It's not, it's the same.
But my space in my throat is different.
One, two, three, four, five.
One, two, three, four, five.
All of a sudden you're like, well, that's like a confident woman on that second one
and like a little kid in the first one.
Can you teach someone who normally talks,
like Ariana Grande, let's go back to her.
If you hear her talk, she talks like a baby
and she has a squeaky voice.
But when she sings, she doesn't have that voice.
Cause she's controlling it
and she has great control over her voice.
But she's not controlling her speaking.
I don't know if she's not doing it
cause she doesn't want to, because she doesn't care,
because she wants to give the impression
of like, I want to be smaller.
Because sometimes people like that.
I think it's done on purpose.
So we never know.
And that's why I'm never like, there's one right answer.
There's not one right answer.
It's what's your objective.
Because I love that you said that,
because that is so true.
If you want to convey like, I'm just a sweet, nice,
like non-confrontational or like, you know, I don't, I'm not, I'm not a bitchy, you know,
it kind of gives off this idea that you're just like sweet and nice and basic and dumb.
Yeah. I have a friend who's a big show host. I won't say on where. And she was having a, and she's just like so cute
and you'd see her and she sounds like this
and she's just like bubbly and so sweet.
And she was having a talk with her managers and lawyers
and she put her foot down and she was speaking like this.
And they were like, whoa.
And she had to backtrack and say, oh, don't mind me.
I'm just like a crazy little Latin chica.
And you're like, she did that on purpose.
She had to put her voice in that place for them to be like, oh, OK.
Right.
Now we like you.
So she's using that small little voice to her advantage.
So it's not like we all need to have this big, booming, low voice.
Sometimes women can be kind of manipulative and in a great way.
Well, that's what I'm saying.
I'm sure like even Ariana and I think you're probably talking about Shakira, but I don't
know.
No, I'm not.
I'm actually not.
Okay.
Because what I was going to say, because you said Latin, that's why I don't know.
Yeah, yeah.
But what I was going to say is it's much more likeable when people are not intimidated by
you.
So when you are talking with like authority with your voice down, people are sometimes off put
because they're more intimidated
and more nervous to be around you.
Especially as a woman, people will think that you're bitchy
or rude or bossy.
So when you act like that and sweet, yeah.
And it's much easier for everyone to play nicely
because they're not a threat.
Yeah, so that's why I'm like, what's your objective?
What is it?
And it can change.
So I like to give people tools
that you're gonna have a whole tool belt
of things that you can choose from.
If you're in a room where you want people like you
and think you're so funny and cute and sweet,
then you can talk in such a different way.
But if you're in a place where you need to lay down the law and this is not okay, then
you can speak in a different way.
And some people are like, isn't that fake?
It's like, what's fake?
It's your voice.
It's what you're trying to get across.
Why is it fake?
We all have different ways.
If I'm getting pulled over by a policeman and I'm talking to my best friend who I'm
just like shooting the shit with and I'm just talking like this,
I'm not gonna talk to the policeman that way.
I'm gonna be say,
hi officer, I'm so sorry, what was I doing?
I'm gonna change the way I speak.
We code switch.
We do it all the time.
We do it with our parents, with our in-laws,
with our kids, with our teachers, with whoever.
I am code switching throughout the day.
And I think that's huge.
It makes me more successful.
It makes the clients
I'm working with and not like, this girl doesn't know what she's talking about. It's like, oh,
no, she does. But then I'm going to go to somebody else and be like, yeah, what's up? You know, like,
we coach. A hundred percent. So, okay. So then when this guy hired you or a voice coach to be
for his voice, to be less boring, What makes a voice boring versus a voice much
more exciting?
So this for that specific Buzzfeed, I'll give that as an example, Kane came to me and he's
kind of quiet and a little bit monotone. And he said, Hey, Amy, so I do this. And I'm like, what?
Like, you're so monotone.
You're just right here.
Nothing varies.
You're just, you know, hey, how you doing?
I was like, okay, we got to take a step back.
What are you trying to get from me?
Do you want me to be excited by you?
Get me excited.
What does that look like?
And I will take it further back of like, how did you speak as a kid?
How did you want people to see you?
Did you like to be in the front?
Did you wanna be center of attention or no?
Do you want that now or no?
You know, it goes back and back and back.
But for him, I was like,
let's get some intonation in there.
So move your voice up, bring it up.
Bring your volume up at different times.
Punch different things that you want to come and don't.
Use your body.
So you can see, I use my body when I'm talking. I'm not just here, but I keep it bringing out. Punch different things that you want to come and don't. Use your body.
So you can see I use my body when I'm talking.
I'm not just here, but I keep it bringing out.
And that brings people in.
So it's not all the way, I'm not flailing around, but I want you to use your full body.
I want you to use your eye contact.
I want you to use your soul.
When you're talking to somebody, there's no one else in the room.
And if you're talking to a group of people, I want them to feel like there's no one else
in the room. You don't have to lock eyes with them. You have to feel that like, I am talking to you. I'm
giving you my all. And after I talk, I am like zonked, because I've given so much energy, I need
to recharge. So with this guy, or for anybody whose voice is more monotone, more boring. How do you train somebody to actually really envelop that
and really do it?
Like it's one thing to do it once after you or twice,
but how can you really, if someone is the way they are,
and that's their voice most of the time,
can you actually change someone's voice forever?
Yeah, I wouldn't have a career if I couldn't do that.
I wouldn't be here, Jen.
I know, right?
Yes, of course.
Practice makes permanent.
Not perfect, but it makes permanent.
The more you do something.
So if somebody is very monotone
and they sort of talk like this and everything's there,
I'd say, punch it up.
Let's go one, two, three, four, five, four, three, two,
one, two, three, four, five, four, three, two, one.
So your voice is going up in pitch and going down.
And I'll say like, give me a sentence.
What'd you have for breakfast today?
Oh, I had peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Give me that in one, two, three, four, five, four, three, two,
one.
I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich today.
I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich today.
I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich today.
So you can feel your voice doing da da da da da da da da da
da da da da da da da da da. And da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da to that and then I'll say, okay, let's take it away. Now let's punch what's important.
I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich today.
And when I say jelly, I'm like,
it was the best jelly of my life.
It was so good.
The things that are important,
those words that you really want people to listen to.
Because when people are listening,
I mean, like, I don't know how many people are gonna be like,
she had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich today.
Like, that's the thing you wanna say, but you're not listening to the words. Right, like, I don't know how many people are going to be like, she had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich today. Like, that's the thing you want to say,
but you're not listening to the words.
Right, right, right.
You're listening to everything else.
The intonation, the fact that I went,
you're listening and I put that in a whisper, that sound.
You're like, ooh, bring me more, bring me in.
When I get quiet and sometimes, like if I'm telling somebody
something, you get quiet.
And that doesn't just like, ah, you're more like, yes.
Like you lean into it.
So especially like I coach a lot of Ted Talkers.
That was my next question.
Ah, we're soulmates.
Yeah.
So I coach a lot of Ted Talkers and a lot of people have such great things that they're
saying.
They've written it out.
Their speeches are fantastic,
or their speech writers are fantastic. Either way, but sometimes they can't deliver it,
or they're just reading it off. And you're like, first of all, never read off. I'd rather
somebody ad lib everything, get half the stuff wrong, than read off a piece of paper. Because
when you're reading off a piece of paper, you're not going to have the big things that
go up. It's just going to be so boring.
It's not the words, right?
It's how you say it.
It's with everything in life though, right?
It's like people don't get offended by what you're saying.
It's how you say it.
You can ask someone, and trust me, I have in my life.
Yeah.
I can ask someone anything,
but if I say it in a way that's like, you know,
non-confrontational, inquisitive versus
judgy, I can get away with anything.
Do you curse on this show?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay, so if I'm telling somebody like, fuck you, you're so good, you know?
Like, no one's going to be like, oh, she said, fuck you to me.
But if I'm like, fuck you, you know, and like do it in that way, then you're like, oh,
you know, but like the way we say it and our tone changes everything. It's all about the tone. Like I was going to ask you about
Ted Talks, right? Because I wonder if there is something, I mean, yes, I know it's the algorithm,
I got it. Totally. And but what else makes it that would make somebody's TED Talk go viral versus go flat?
Is it, I thought what I've kind of thought
was the way the person sounds, not necessarily what,
I think the title of what it is,
the way someone sounds and also how close the camera is
to the person's face, that's what I've noticed.
But how would you train someone to be the most
engaging when they're talking? How do you teach someone to be animated and alive when
that's not, again, their natural personality? Is it just practice? You give them the tools
and then they go off and just practice? That's the first part. The second part is what is the step by step way to really own a room, to really kind of
take control and crush a presentation like that?
So a couple different things.
I swing a pendulum because I will coach somebody who is pretty boring and I'm going to make
them whack-a-doo.
They're going to be all over the top and everything's gonna be so crazy.
And I know that they're gonna walk out
and be like, that crazy lady told me to do too much shit.
And that pendulum's gonna swing back right in the middle,
right where they need to be.
So I go way far on one side.
And I tell them that too.
I'm like, listen, we're going psycho here
and I want you to be free.
Because also if somebody is,
a lot of times people are a little bit flatter
because they're a little embarrassed to go big.
Shy.
They're shy, they're embarrassed,
they're just kind of like reserved.
And there's nothing wrong with that.
No, I know.
Yeah, it's all, but if you're reserved,
you're like, I don't wanna do that.
It feels weird.
Feels weird.
It feels weird to go big.
And I'm like, feel weird, feel weird.
Don't feel shame, don't feel embarrassed.
Cause if you're embarrassed, I promise you,
your Ted Talk's not gonna do well.
If you're like, I don't sort of like, don't wanna be here.
That comes across and people are like,
well, if you don't wanna be here,
I don't wanna be watching you.
But if someone's like, oh my God, I wanna be here so badly.
I'm so stoked to be here.
And you can see that.
You're like, yeah, I wanna be here with you.
I don't care what you're talking about.
You're talking about a toenail fungus, sign me up.
It's so exciting, cause you're excited.
Show me that excitement.
And then take me on a journey.
Show me that excitement.
Show me big.
So that's why when people are reserved, I'm like, go crazy.
I have them jump around.
I have them move about.
I have them flail their arms up and really go wild.
So then they don't feel that shame as much.
Like get weird, get completely weird, be embarrassed,
get it out.
And then you can find places where you're like,
yes, here I am talking about toenail fungus on my TED talk.
And then I'm gonna bring it back
because I'm telling you a story.
And if every story is at a 10 the whole time,
it feels like you're yelling at me.
But I have to have you bring it back.
And there's gotta be parts where you bring it in.
And like I said before, when I'm quiet, you lean in.
So then I go big and I go big where it matters
and then I pull you in. And I'm like, now you come into me because I'm gonna bring it here. And then I go big and I go big where it matters and then I pull you in and I'm like,
now you come into me because I'm going to bring it here and then we're going to be someplace else
in the middle. So give me a range of emotion. Give me a range of things to be excited about.
When I see a movie and it's one character and he's the same exact throughout, you're like,
you're so boring. But a good movie and a good character, you see an arc.
You see them start somewhere else and end somewhere else.
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And when you want to have more authority, you talk down. When
you want to sound more, well, likable or flighty or kind of what's the word?
Easy to like.
Easy.
It's easy.
You kind of go up. Don't, you end with kind of like a comment, not with a question mark.
Right. Voice down talk versus up talk. So that's more that confidence of a voice.
Yes, of a voice.
What other ways and tips can you teach people
how to tweak their voice to sound something?
Give me an example.
So I'm a fast talker, I know that.
I'm also hyperarticulate. So I can speak really quickly, but you know exactly what I'm a fast talker. I know that. I'm also hyperarticulate. So I can speak really quickly,
but you know exactly what I'm saying and every single sound comes out.
Yes.
So I'm not mumbling anything unless I'm doing it on purpose. Like when I said mumbling anything,
like that was on purpose that you heard it. So changing the speed at which I'm speaking is so important. It also gives me a chance to pause.
And everybody talks about the pause.
I love a pause.
Even me just saying, I love a pause.
That moment of silence, you listened.
You're like, what is she going to say?
So speed is huge in how you're
delivering something. Am I going faster? Am I stopping? And am I stopping even just to
think about the next thing I'm saying? So I'll give people tricks like that. Like, take
your time. Don't give everything at once. Stop. And then think, what am I gonna say? How am I
gonna say it? What am I going to do with my speed? And that's to switch it up. So
it's not, we're all the same speed, we're all the same tone, we're all this. Our
ears will get used to everything. That's why whenever, like I'm sure your mom is
like, my mom is like every other mom in the world that
yelled at me all the time clean your room and then you just turned it out because it
was all at the same pitch. It was all loud. It was all yelly. It was all that and you're
like boop like it's not there anymore. But she was like Amy, you better clean your room.
You're like, okay mom, you know, it scares you a different way. Because then all of a sudden, you're like, I have
to listen. You're engaging me differently.
That's so true. So then what do moms like what I want my kid to
check to clean his room or listen to me because God knows
I repeat myself. I get so frustrated. I get so annoyed. I'm
sure you do too. You got
totally totally. So to be cognizant of not being, not just to be,
I yell, like just not to yell the same thing
I yelled the day before, two minutes ago.
So when you take it in quiet, when you're more quiet
or more close up, is it both?
So-
And a pause.
It's both, and a pause.
I mean, there's so much there.
The number one thing to get somebody to hear you
is to make sure they're listening.
If I'm just yelling upstairs and they're doing something else, why are they going to listen?
But if I go to my kid and I'm like, I have a kid named Mo, I'm like, Mo, you need to
clean your room now.
He's like, okay, Mo.
Make sure they're listening.
That goes with every TED talk you're doing too.
If you're talking to somebody and they're like, ba and they're like, but if you stop and you pause and you're like, it's going
to get awkward. And then all of a sudden people are going to listen. And you're like, now
we can go. Thank you. And you keep going. You have to be careful what energy you're
giving across because sometimes it's like, right, right, right. Like when that happens.
So it depends on what you're trying.
But if you stop and you're like, thanks so much now, and you can like do it in a charming way.
That's just a little bit more approachable for people to be like, got it.
You know, it's interesting right now, like, just during this interview, I can see all the
different ranges in your voice.
Like you are a pro, you go quiet, you go loud, you go animated. You do like, it's like,
it's amazing how you really have made your voice like your instrument too and how to teach because
when you're working with massive personalities, they need to a trust you and listen to you and
think that you know what you're talking about. Right? So did you train yourself also to be that way?
Yes, I became more cognizant of it because I always was animated and I was a performer,
so I always had all that there. But then once I started working with other people and noticing it
in them, you know, when you teach, you learn. And once I started teaching people, I was like,
oh, I can do that too. And then I just became way more cognizant, just noticing that in everybody else.
Yeah. What other kind of, besides like artists, like pop stars and big, you know, music people, performers,
have you ever been hired by everyday other people to help them with a particular issue to help them optimize their voice?
Yes. So I have a big part of my business is like CEOs, managers, people who come to me
and they say, I need to communicate better with my employees, with whoever. If I'm giving
a meeting, I need those people to listen to me, things like that. So I had one recently and sometimes I have to figure out what they're asking for help.
And they'll say like, I need help with my voice, with my tone.
And I'm like, okay, let's dig deeper into that.
And they don't have the language to necessarily say what it is. And so it was this guy, he was a CEO and he got a lot of heat from his HR about his tone.
And I was like, what, like nasal?
Are you like too annoying?
Like what do you mean?
And he was like, well, I read all these books.
He read the negotiator book on like, that's the one.
He was on the show.
I'm sure like all the people that were on the show, like all the one. Yeah, he was on this show. I'm sure.
Like all the people that were on the show, like all the things that have, here's your
tips and tricks for the best this and how to be the master negotiator and confident
voice and work well with this.
But sometimes it comes across a little robotic.
If you're like, I am just reading the book and I'm doing every single thing that they're
saying but I'm not actually communicating with a human, that they're just doing that.
And once he started telling me, this is what I'm doing, and this is how I talk to people,
and this is what is it, I went, is this how you talk to them too?
Like that?
He was like, yeah, of course.
And they listen and dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.
I'm like, okay, let's stop for a second.
What's your goal?
What's your objective with the people?
Well, I want them to like me.
Great, great place to start.
So when we're talking about tone,
it's like you're yelling at me like a dad.
Like, you're just telling me what to do.
You're my coach.
And like, some people don't need that.
They need more of a mentor.
So if I were to change that objective
and say like, I want you to mentor me a little bit.
How would you now talk to me about that?
And so then he backed off a little bit.
He was like, okay, well, let's see how I can help you.
I'm like, there.
Do you see how you did that?
How you just took it back from that aggressive forward telling you what to do, but now how
can I help you?
We bring it in in a different way.
So for him, I was like, the tone is not necessarily the problem.
It's your objective in what it is.
And once you have that clear objective of how you want them to perceive you, then it
goes a different route and you have a different voice to them.
So you have to think about it in a different way.
Take that a few steps back, right?
Right.
So you basically, I like how you did that because you want a lot of people are very
robotic.
They read a ton of these books.
Totally.
And the books are wonderful, by the way.
But you're not embodying what it is.
It's words and it's very academic, right?
It's very sterile.
It's very sterile.
And if we all read those books and we all do the things, we're all going to be a bunch
of robots in this society
who like shake hands a certain way
and down talk a certain way and work our bodies.
We're all gonna be the same.
Like we have to have us, our humanity
and the way we communicate with people as well.
That has to be a part of it.
Well, I think the way like you make,
especially in a leadership role, right?
Tweaking it from being talking down to somebody,
like at, or sorry, at somebody.
Yeah.
Versus as a mentor.
That's a really good way of putting it.
Like, so to sound more mentor-like
and not such like such a robot or would you say,
what would that be called that you're teaching them to do?
What were those action items? Like you're teaching them to do? What were those action items?
Like you're telling them to change their tone,
their voice by sounding more mentor-like.
What's that step?
What is that step?
It's taking a step back and getting first the objective.
You have to think,
everything has to zoom out a little bit.
How do you want someone to perceive you?
How do you want them to look at you?
Respect but also like that you care that you care. Yeah, I think that's huge and when you're caring for somebody
It's not like okay great get this in by Monday, right? No a hundred percent. Hi
How are you? Take a moment even
I'm I'm like you I am busy. Sometimes I do not have time to ask somebody how they are.
Yeah, it's a whole thing actually in business.
A lot of people, especially now,
you need to kind of like foreplay it for like five minutes.
Thousand percent.
How was your weekend?
What did you do?
And you're like, I just have to get to the point here.
Totally.
So, but you can't circumvent that.
How do you, you can't get away with that, but not,
you still, so that's not really a tone. It is a tone, but it's't circumvent that. How do you, you can't get away with that, but not, you still, so that's not really a
tone.
It is a tone, but it's an additional five minutes that you have to add to the conversation.
So I would take the tone of that, of like, how are you?
How was your weekend?
And I would add that tone to like the thing we need to get done.
And sometimes you don't need the five minutes.
It's a long foreplay.
Yeah. Get straight to the main. Go into it. Yeah. Let don't need the five minutes. It's a long foreplay. Get straight to the
main meal. Go to the main meal. But I would say, hi, thanks so much for doing this. Can I have you
do that please? Thank you again. Where there's a warmth of the- A warmth. I guess that's it,
right? I guess what I'm confused, not confused, is the wrong word, but can you teach somebody how to be
warm when they're not naturally like that? Won't it come across fake? If it is fake,
but you have to also find that authentic warmthness. So you are a businesswoman like me,
you get straight to it. What is something that you would tell me,
like if you're telling me a task to do for next week? Imagine I'm your assistant. Give
me something.
Oh, give you a task. Okay.
Yeah, give me a task.
Email Bob.
Great. Now imagine that like I was hurt or sick or something happened to me.
But that's EQ.
Sure. But wait, but wait. So imagine something hurt or happened to me.
What would you say to me right there?
How are you?
How are you feeling?
Great.
That's something you just did right there.
Now with that feeling, tell me to email Bob the same way.
Can you email Bob, please?
That.
Right.
But this is what I'm saying.
What portion?
This is most of it's also like teaching someone EQ, like picking up on nuance.
So much so.
Understanding what make people, how I talked to, like we said earlier, my tone of voice
with you will be very different than my tone of voice with Karen.
Because I know Karen is more sensitive and needs this and I have to handle her differently.
You, it could be straight down and dirty
and you appreciate it more.
Love it.
Right? Love it.
But you have to know your audience.
Yeah, you need to know your audience.
With all of it.
When you're speaking to a big crowd
or even to one person or a small business meeting,
know your audience.
Yeah.
Or do they want that down and dirty,
give me it real fast?
Or do they need a little bit of that?
Yeah.
And sometimes you could use a little bit of that
in everywhere, just a little charm.
Have you ever done like a real talk
where you teach people how to talk?
Yeah, totally.
Have you ever done a talk, yeah.
Yeah, I worked with a big office of women.
So Dani Garcia.
Yeah, I know her, yeah. So I went to her. Just so people don women. So, Dani Garcia. Yeah, I know her. Yeah.
So, I went to her.
Just so people don't know. So, Dani Garcia is The Rock's ex-wife, but business partner,
and she runs Seven Bucks Productions.
Right. So, she has an awesome business of women. It's all women. And she had me come
in.
She's a bodybuilder too.
Bodybuilder. She's a powerhouse and an awesome human.
But she had me come into her office and speak with all of her women in a big talk situation
and say, how can we each sound as capable as we are because we work in a world of men.
We are in a very big man's world and how can we hold our own?
So I did that. I went and I sat and I said, all right, ladies, let's do this. How are
we speaking? How do you want to become across? How do you want other people to look at you?
You're sitting with a bunch of men. So you don't have the same high that you're talking
to your friends. You know, if you're with some other guy, you change it a little bit
and don't be afraid that it's fake.
It is fake.
We're all a little fake.
We're all putting it on.
The only time I'm 100% real is when I'm like laying in bed
and I'm talking to my husband, I'm like,
honey, I'm so tired or whatever it is.
Like that's the one time where I'm just like,
I'm not putting anything on, but it's okay to be fake.
Like that's something that has such a bad connotation.
And I don't think it should. Yeah. I really don't. You know, I think that you're right. Okay to be fake. Like that's something that has such a bad connotation.
And I don't think it should.
I really don't.
I think that you're right.
There is such a bad connotation.
Like we're all putting it on.
We all, like, you know, Chris Rock says,
like we go out, our sales reps, our representatives
are the ones who are out there all, you know,
when you want to have a date,
when you want to like impress a girl, a boy, get a job,
your sales rep is doing the job.
That's part of life.
Like, you know, if you wanna like achieve and like do things and work nicely with
other people, there's gonna be an element of an elevated you.
And that's the EQ of it all too.
Exactly.
It's okay to be fake.
We have to just accept that.
And it's not like we're fake in a bad way.
There's nothing malicious about it.
No, it's like, you know, I go somewhere, I'm like, oh my God, fuck, I got to go in there.
I got to pull myself together.
Like if you're in a bad mood, okay.
And I'm going to a meeting or whatever, I got to just pull myself together and
like put it on for 20 minutes.
Totally. And then you will follow suit. Again, like put it on for 20 minutes. Totally.
And then you will follow suit.
Again, the fake it till you make it.
Yeah.
You'll follow suit.
You'll get into a better mood if you're smiling
and you're having a good time with people and like,
oh yeah, I am pissed.
It's too much energy to be pissed.
It's true.
There's like a bunch of people who say like,
if you just smile, you can smile your way to being happy,
even when you're not happy.
Yes, because you just release endorphins
by acting a certain way.
Totally.
And so that's the same way of all of this. Like, we're going to be the person we want to be.
See that. What is your objective? What do you want that to sound like?
I like what you said also about the capable. Let's go back to that,
because you already told us a little bit about how to sound like we are in control,
that we're knowledgeable earlier.
But when you went into Dani's office with the women to kind of help them
kind of give off that they are capable, smart women, what did you do? You were sitting there
for an hour, let's say. How long was your meeting? So I did a few different things. Number one,
I did a big talk with everybody. And then I went individually, one by one.
Okay.
Because I think sometimes with some of this stuff, like, you can give the big generals,
but each person is different, you know? That's why I've had such a hard time writing a book,
because I'm like, it's every person, every human.
Yeah, it's true.
It's so individual.
It is, right? Because every personality is so different, right?
So how you work with one person is going to be different. So pull out a couple examples of some people that were certain ways
that you help them tweak that maybe people who are listening can relate to.
Right. So I would have everybody when I was talking to everybody, I would pretend like I
was talking individually. And I said, write down three things you're fantastic at in your job.
Like, I want you to think about it. And this is where that self-esteem comes into it.
Like, this is, I want you to brag.
I want you to be like,
I am fucking awesome at communications, whatever it is.
And so I had them all write it down.
And then I went around and I said,
I want you to tell me what it is that you're doing so well.
And when you do it,
I want you to convince everybody that you're doing so well. And when you do it, I want you to convince everybody
that you're that great.
Like believe it before you say it.
And it has to come from here
or it's not gonna feel authentic.
If you're like, I'm the best bread baker in the world.
You're like, are you?
You know, like, but if you believe it,
like you've enjoyed my bread.
I am the best bread maker in the world. You know, whatever it is, you have to believe that.
So I would start with that.
Start with your positives.
Start with the things that are easy
to prove to somebody else.
I am amazing.
Then from there, say it.
Believe it.
Go big, go animated.
What word is the most important in that? I am the best bread maker in the world. And then I'm like, go animated. What word is the most important in that?
I am the best bread maker in the world.
And then I'm like, punch that.
Punch the word best.
Punch the word that is the one that you want them
to really focus on.
And it's gonna be different words throughout.
So I would have them all go around
and do different things where they punched a word
and then they would pause before the word
or the phrase or the couple words that they wanted people to really listen to.
So I am the best bread maker in the world.
So then they were like, whoa, whoa, just have that pause, have that moment to listen to
it and really absorb what they're saying.
I love that.
Is there another example or that's the, And we can like, we can wrap it.
Because I know you've got it. Your car is waiting for you.
What time is it?
1.27.
Oh yes. They're always early.
I know. Well, just...
No, no, no. I'm saying they're always early.
Yeah. Give me a second. Okay. How...
This is a pause, everybody.
This is a pause. We can edit this out.
Or no, you said pauses are great. Pauses are so great.
I'm getting like schvitzy with the light.
I know.
And she's also been on for an hour.
See, you're getting... She's been fake for about an hour.
So it's like a long time.
I'm going to come out of here and be like, all right, guys, let's get out of here.
Listen, if you don't have an example, that's fine.
You gave us a lot.
No, I want to think of something else.
I like to write down the three things that you're really good at.
That's a great part of it.
And I think that's a great way to get to know yourself.
I think that's a great way to get to know yourself.
I think that's a great way to get to know yourself.
I think that's a great way to get to know yourself.
I think that's a great way to get to know yourself.
I think that's a great way to get to know yourself.
I think that's a great way to get to know yourself.
I think that's a great way to get to know yourself.
I think that's a great way to get to know yourself. I think that's a great way to get to know yourself. I think that's a great way to get to know yourself. I think that's a great way to get to know yourself. I think that's fine. You gave us a lot. But no, I want to think of something else.
I like to write down the three things
that you're really good at.
That's a great part of it.
Punch the word that you want people to remember.
Good.
I think there's a lot of good action items.
You have to pull in things that you want.
Is there another one?
Yeah, I'm sure there is.
Do you want some magic mind here?
Why don't you like shake this up?
By the way, we didn't even do this.
We normally do this from the beginning of the podcast.
So these help you with your focus and they're a healthy shot.
They have Ashwagandha and all these amazing things.
I should have done this an hour ago.
You should have.
You would have been really on.
I would have really on.
God, I would have broken your mic.
You would have been basically through the roof,
but maybe this will help you get that example.
I don't even drink coffee.
You don't drink? I can imagine not.
I can imagine you don't drink.
That's good.
You got to do it in one shot.
Oh, L'chaim.
L'chaim.
By the way, I've had like four of these already.
I shouldn't even have any more.
Is it good?
Yeah.
Yeah, that's really good.
People love it.
I think all my guests love it.
Can you think of one more sample now?
It works, yeah. Reframe a question.
Like, tell me a question again of like,
what is just a...
Like, another question?
Yeah, just like a, like,
reframe it in a way that I can just...
Okay, so, I think someone who feels...
This is actually a question
I do have and then it's going to be our...
Yeah, like, I work really well from a problem.
Okay, like, I think a lot of people can actually be like,
I'll use myself.
Okay.
You know, I'm an, I think I'm,
I'm like an outgoing person sometimes.
I'm an outgoing person, I'm extroverted,
and I'm not shy.
Like I'll ask anybody anything all the time.
But put me on a stage, I get really scared.
Like, I guess I can perform on stage,
but it's like, I'm like, I am not somebody
who naturally feels super comfortable
talking to like a huge group of people.
I find like, so people, like, and there are people out there
who are the opposite, right?
Usually opposite, like they're usually very shy,
but they go on stage and they shine, right?
Is there anything that, and it's not because of a
confidence, not because I can write down the three things that I'm confident about and I can know
all these things that you said, right? Like animation, changing the intonation of my voice,
all those things and still go up there. Is there anything else that I can take along with me for my voice to really kind of show my
authoritatorship, my confidence, my be funny, I mean, to make
myself a really good performer. I'm just trying to give you
something like, because it has nothing to do with lack of
self-esteem or lack of confidence. It's just like, it's
like a jittery thing. And even if I have all those tools, I can still go up there and get nervous and scared
and then not do all the things that I was told to do or a practice to do.
So it's so important before you go on, whether you're singing or speaking
or doing any kind of talking in front of somebody, to center yourself,
to breathe and make sure your exhale is longer than your inhale.
And I would do that.
Have you heard of square breathing?
Yep.
So I would do one, two, three, four, hold two, three, four, out two, three, four, hold
two, three, four.
So you keep doing that until you really center yourself. And once you feel I am centered, you know that everybody out there wants you to succeed.
They want to hear you.
You want to talk to them.
You're not talking at them, you're talking to them.
So in your mind, think of the person you're speaking to.
Not a group of people, not a thousand people, not 20 people, but who is
it? And you're having a conversation with them. A lot of people are good one-on-one,
but when it gets to be more people, they're like, I don't know how to do it. It's because
you're not picturing a human and a soul and a connection. You're picturing a wall of
people. But if you can connect with one, and again, it doesn't have to be looking at one,
but you can say, I'm just connecting with you. I'm giving me, and I want to give you too.
I just want to connect. Think of that.
And the square breathing.
And the square breathing to really start it off,
to take those nerves down, and don't jump into it.
Take your time.
This is the thing that everybody's like,
I got to go fast because I'm on here.
And it's like really nervous to be like,
that's exactly it. Taking your time. That is what it is. You get so, we got to go, we got to go fast because I'm on here and it's like really nervous to be like, mmm. That's exactly it. Taking your time.
That is what it is.
You get so, we gotta go, we gotta go fast.
Like no, hi everybody.
That's where the breathing comes in.
Hi, I'm Amy.
Thanks so much for being here.
Today I'm going to be talking about voice.
And so if I just took that one moment to connect, that connection is huge. They're
going to feel it. You're going to feel it. You're going to feel like you're talking to
a person, not just a bunch of people. I like that. Thank you, Amy. Thank you.
Now you can go to New York. Exactly. I. This was very, very fun and informative.
And like I said, I've never done a podcast on voice before, so this is really interesting.
And I hope somebody, or more than just one person, but take something they can integrate
it into their lives.
Because I think you gave us a lot of great little action items.
Amazing.
I'm so happy too.
I feel like I had a thousand things I wanted to talk about. And then I just got sidetracked of something else. Well, yes, the good news is you
can always come back. I can't wait. I mean, with that hair. I mean, you want to say something about
your hair, about imaging. Oh, you know, you were asking about like routines. I know, I didn't ask
you. That's okay. I'll still talk about it because I can't shut up.
I find it really important every day to look good. And I know like, people are like,
yeah, but that's so shallow. I'm like, no, no, no, I'm not doing it for other people.
Right.
I do it for me. Because if I know I look good, I know my hair is done, I know my makeup's done,
I like my outfit, I like how I'm presenting.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Then I feel confident and my self-esteem is higher. Yeah, and I feel better about myself
Yeah, and when I feel better about myself, I can talk I can have the best time
But if I go out and like my hair looks like shit, I'm tired
I didn't put on a lip today and I like my outfit is great. What am I wearing? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah
I'm not gonna feel confident. I'm you're gonna look at me and be like, right, right, right. She's not confident
because I don't feel confident. 100%. I mean, I live in gym clothes. I'm like the worst person
to say that too. But if you feel confident in that and you like it. I do. Cause you know why I feel
confident in that? Because like I'm usually wearing my gym clothes because I came from the gym. And
you got a banging bod and you're happy to show that off too. Well, yeah. Or I was just going to add also, I rather, I think to myself,
at least I did something that was for myself,
that like bettered myself, that made my brain more focused
and like I sweat, when you sweat, I feel better.
I rather look like shit because I really feel like,
I feel better knowing that I look like shit
because I did something for myself beforehand.
So you're working out is my getting ready.
Getting ready.
And it's also like a meditative moment
when I'm sitting and putting on makeup or doing my hair.
It's a moment that I'm not on my phone.
I'm not doing a thousand things.
You gotta concentrate.
Concentrating and I'm doing one thing.
Never in my life do I do one thing at a time.
So it's my moment that I'm like, this is for me.
I'm taking these
20 minutes and I'm going to put on my mascara for a painfully long time and I'm just going to do it.
And it's meditative. It is. It is.
Meditative mascara. Running is my meditation,
mascara is yours. Everybody's got their own.
Everybody has their own. God, thank you, Amy, for being on here. Guys, check out Amy,
what's your Instagram or what do you Instagram? It's Amy Chapman.
It's my Instagram website, VoiceLabLA.
If you want a voice lesson, don't call her.
She's too busy for you.
But anyway.
Talk somewhere, call me.
Exactly.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
