Stage One: Including Popular/Commercial Music In Their Teaching Most of my voice teacher clients didn’t sing popular and commercial in their academic training. Classical only. Maybe some jazz and musical theatre sprinkled in “for fun” or as a “dessert” after eating their musical vegetables. They take the step of changing that pattern by being open to working on…

Most of your students probably came to you because of what their voice can’t do. But what if the thing they need most is for you to show them what it can do? I pride myself on being a problem solver. I bet you can relate. We teachers all love…

In Karpman’s Drama Triangle model, dysfunctional relationships often involve people taking on one of three roles at any particular moment: the Persecutor, the Rescuer, or the Victim. (Victim in this case does not mean an actual victim, but someone who feels or acts like one.) …

Psychological manipulation is any attempt to control another person’s behavior. We’re all guilty of manipulation at one point or another, and most of us aren’t being malicious when we do it. Sometimes we even think we’re being helpful or kind (hey there, codependency). …

At this strange time of living amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, most people are experiencing trauma. Trauma, generally, is experienced when someone is experiencing too much, too fast, or when someone’s needs cannot be sufficiently met. Those needs include health and well-being, food, shelter, water, sleep, clothes, financial security, emotional security…

The first life coaching book I read was The Mindful Coach by Doug Silsbee, creator of Presence Based Coaching®, an ICF Accredited Coach Training Program. (Sadly, Silsbee passed away in 2018, but the program continues.) The Mindful Coach provides detailed explanations and discussion of seven “Voices” that Silsbee believed a…

Healthy Narcissism vs. Toxic Narcissism If you’re like I was for a long time, the word narcissism might pull up a persona so malicious and larger-than-life that you don’t even think to attach it to the regular ol’ people in your life. The truth is that narcissism happens in all of us. It can be…

There are many ways to approach your artistic identity and creative work, and my experience is that people seem to lean toward one of two general approaches, although everyone benefits from both. I call them the Forager and the Gardener. The Forager The Forager loves creating with spontaneity and discovery. They find…

If you hear the phrase “just be yourself” and feel confused or anxious, chances are good you experienced identity trauma at some point in your life. Identity Trauma Identity Trauma with Caregivers The deepest identity trauma happens with caregivers and can begin before you’re capable of storing memories. The trauma happens when your caregiver responds to…