On The Breath

Two personal perspectives:  my teenage son and my partner share their experiences with the visual world and public speaking. How to support yourself with speaking and presenting if you aren’t very visual and what to do if you are!  This is our Season 2 Finale: we’ll be back on August 7th, 2023.HOW TO ACCESS SJ's FREE CLASS & MORE SUPPORTAccess my free online class, Discover Your True Voice!  To learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website.  Here's where to access Empower Your Voice, in which I teach a "memory palace" technique for remembering your content. Public speaking tips and reaction videos, are on my YouTube Channel.  You can find my bio and background right here.ABOUT RONAN & PAULRonan loves science and animals.  He is considering a career in zoology and enjoys making things, making art, and gaming.Paul Jennings is an actor and tour guide, owner of SF Expeditions, offering boutique tours of San Francisco, not only delighting visitors with the more fascinating history and characters of the city, but also guiding them with insider tips on how best to enjoy their stay.  He is particularly appreciated for his voiceover work, as Raphael in Soul Caliber II.Here is a great aphantasia resource This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sjharrison.substack.com

Hear Sarah's disempowering moment with voice and what she did about it, as Sarah fills us in on new ventures in the Northeast of England aimed at supporting the creativity and economy of this region.HOW TO ACCESS SJ's FREE CLASS & MORE SUPPORTAccess my free online class, Discover Your True Voice!  To learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website. This interview, as well as public speaking tips and reaction videos, are on my YouTube Channel.  ABOUT SARAHSarah is an actor, voice-over artist, and studied acting at the Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art (RADA) for three years. Since leaving she has worked mainly in TV and film and is best known for playing lead roles in Holby City and Steel River Blues, as well as Extras with Ricky Gervais, Vera with Brenda Blethyn and Eastenders.She is also a writer, and Founder and Director of Bamboo Media Productions – a new production company focused on high-end, scripted TV.Sarah's production company Bamboo Media Productions supports women in the creative field, especially behind the camera.  Follow her on IG @sarahjanepreston and Linkedin. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sjharrison.substack.com

Whose voice does Dawnette love most? “It's the voice of women who truly empower others.”   Never underestimate your personal impact, as a parent, as a partner, as a person.  Waking up one morning, Dawnette decided to change her family’s financial situation.  Now she empowers others by helping them to develop a purposeful relationship with money!  In this short and impactful conversation, we talk about how changing our environment starts with changing how we talk to ourselves.  Women’s experience of empowerment is like this:  one woman speaks to herself, then speaks to another woman, and so on, changing the world with acts of voice, some of them seemingly small.  We discuss several movements that started with a handful of women, and  how simple, personal acts in our own lives have ripple effects.  HOW TO ACCESS SJ's FREE CLASS & MORE SUPPORTAccess my free online class, Discover Your True Voice!  To learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website. This interview, as well as public speaking tips and reaction videos, are on my YouTube Channel.  ABOUT DAWNETTEDawnette Palmore is the founder and owner of Your Money On Purpose Coaching where she empowers professional and entrepreneurial women who make great money but don't know where it goes to gain control of their finances without sacrificing their lifestyle so they can live a financially stress-free life. Dawnette is committed to helping women to thrive in their business and life instead of just surviving.Through her own mistakes with money, she discovered how to keep vision focused instead of budget focused which has allowed her to get out of debt, save and invest in her future all while enjoying the things she loves.Since 2015 Dawnette has empowered hundreds of women to create a thriving and profitable business, live their life on their terms and be at peace with their money. When she is not empowering other women, she can be found spending time with her family and friends.  You can find Dawnette in all the places as yourmoneyonpurpose and on her website.   This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sjharrison.substack.com

Selfish Actors VS Powerful Speakers!   In this 'how to' episode Joan Cardellino speaks about her transformation in public speaking, and Josiah Darwish discusses her transformation in acting for film.  I share a theatre anecdote that exemplifies how your context matters and we investigate how to identify your personal & professional context in order to empower yourself when speaking in public.Have a listen as we explore some acting dos and don’ts to illuminate best public speaking practices!HOW TO ACCESS SJ's FREE CLASS & MORE SUPPORTAccess my free online class, Discover Your True Voice!  To learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website. Public speaking tips and reaction videos, are on my YouTube Channel.  Here's a direct link to the Wig & Wardrobe video mentioned in the episode showcasing backstage life at an Elizabethan theatre.GUESTSJosiah Darwish is an actor & filmmaker whose film was recently nominated for Best First Time Filmmaker at the Beyond Hollywood International Film Festival.Joan Cardellino is a retired Geographer and Political Activist whose voice and writing have been featured on NPR's KQED's With a Perspective on numerous occasions.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sjharrison.substack.com

“Not everyone can like you and that’s ok”.  In this intimate behind the scenes conversation with Indira Varma, we get an inside look at her approach to acting, discuss the wonders of the voice in life and death, the power of listening onstage, Indy’s abiding love of voiceover & radio, her experience of growing up with parents from different cultures, working with Ralph Fiennes and so much more!  Fans will get a wonderful sense of Indira #bts, while actors & acting students can experience this as a master class in the how and why of acting practices.  #TheGlobe #thepopupglobe #performing #ShakespeareABOUT INDIRA VARMA Here is Indira’s Wikipedia.Indira is a British actor, as prolific onstage and as a voiceover as she is on film & TV.  Her breakthrough leading role was in Mira Nair’s Kama Sutra.  She is particularly known for the role of Ellaria Sand in Game of Thrones #GOT, as Tala Durlith in Obi-Wan Kenobi #starwars opposite Ewan McGregor and in Extrapolations with Edward Norton this year on Apple TV.  She was in Bride and Prejudice, Luther, & Rome, to name just a few.CURRENT WORKObsession on Netflix, and check out her audiobooks including all of Terry Pratchett's books!HOW TO ACCESS SJ's FREE CLASS & THE VIDEO OF THIS PODCASTAccess my free online class, learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website. Here's the video of this podcast interview. This and more, including public speaking tips and reaction videos, can be found on my YouTube Channel.   This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sjharrison.substack.com

Is it possible to sell with sincerity?  “Shouldn’t every moment be a magical moment of love and that’s created by the voice?"  And what a voice!  During the Thatcher years, Nicky ran a market stall selling cookies in the North of England.  Nicky used her voice to convey belonging and validation to the single mothers that came to her stall. Through making heart to heart connections with her buyers, her market stall became a multi-million pound business.   Now a sought after platform speaker: “I was 65 last week and my world is only just beginning!”   Nicky brings her incredible life experience to bear in helping people develop and sell their brands: through developing a communication style that matches who you are, underpinned by your own unique stories.  We discuss how embracing her native accent has been key to her own empowerment, the incredible opportunity COVID provided in helping many of us move into deep authenticity and so much more!ABOUT NICKYNicky speaks to thousands of people every year performing very unique keynotes and still takes on in-house projects for many big brands – teaching hotel chains, law firms, professional services and even contact centres in gas companies and telecoms’ organisations advanced multi-dimensional’ communication and the very rare art of connection and command through the ‘’art of the voice.’’.Having previously turned over £2,000,000 a year as a market trader she… let’s say…”made the best of the big demise that came afterwards’’. We all have them, occasional demises …life isn’t always easy. Losing her eldest son at nursery, then both her parents, her home, her business and then getting adivorce, all in the space of three years. It was something that many would have not come back from. It was as she says…”’The making of her.’’ She took what she learned on the markets – which was very little to do with selling the stock – and everything to do with directing the way customers felt in the ‘’unique presence’’ of the staff.HOW TO FIND NICKYHere is Nicky's Website.  But please email her directly if you'd like to know more.  She loves hearing from people: [email protected] TO FIND SJ & THE VIDEO OF THIS PODCASTAccess my free online class, learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website. Here's the video of this podcast interview. This and more, including public speaking tips and reaction videos, can be found on my YouTube Channel.      This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sjharrison.substack.com

An artistic life lived at the intersection between languages and cultures: Zeina Azzam, a deeply thoughtful presence, reads several of her visually evocative poems.  We discuss synesthesia, Zeina's experience of speaking under threatening circumstances,  how we often pour our identity into our accents, and how the experience of speaking publicly has been a process of moving from fear to empowerment.ZEINA AZZAM BIOZeina Azzam is a Palestinian American poet, writer, editor, and community activist. She is the poet laureate of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, for 2022-25. Her poems appear in a number of literary journals, anthologies, and edited volumes and her chapbook, Bayna Bayna, In-Between, was published in 2021 by The Poetry Box. Zeina holds an MA in Arabic literature from Georgetown University, an MA in sociology from George Mason University, and a BA in psychology from Vassar College. HOW TO FIND ZEINAHere is Zeina's website.  If you are interested in her daughter Lena's music, check out Lena's website.HOW TO FIND SJ & THE VIDEO OF THIS PODCASTAccess my free online class, learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website. Here's the video of this podcast interview. This and more, including public speaking tips and reaction videos, can be found on my YouTube Channel.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sjharrison.substack.com

All the feels! A rich and jam packed episode in which Tanya Moodie gives us the view through her unique lens of the craft of acting and takes a deep dive into the personal.  We discuss how what goes on in the psyche, goes on in the voice, wearing black to disappear, the vulnerability of using our voices with our partners, how she navigates motherhood, code switching to build bridges, and the initial devastation of changing her accent.TANYA MOODIE BIOTanya Moodie is a Canadian-born British actor, who won the Royal Television Society’s Breakthrough Award for the role of Meg in the BAFTA winning BBC comedy Motherland. Some of Tanya’s recent film credits include GENERAL PARNADEE in J.J Abram’s STAR WARS: THE RISE OF LUKE SKYWALKER and DELIA in Sam Mendes’ EMPIRE OF LIGHT with Searchlight Pictures.In theatre she is a two time Olivier nominee for Outstanding Achievement In An Affiliate Theatre. Her several Best Actress nominations include What’s On Stage (for August Wilson's Fences opposite Lenny Henry), the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, and the UK Theatre Awards.HOW TO FIND TANYATanya’s work is widely available on numerous streaming networks.  Check out other interviews with her on YouTube.  Her wikipedia entry is a good place to start! HOW TO FIND SJ & THE VIDEO OF THIS PODCAST Access my free online class, learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website. Here's the video of this podcast interview. This and more, including public speaking tips and reaction videos, can be found on my YouTube Channel.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sjharrison.substack.com

Season 2 is shaping up to be deep dive into the personal lives of my guests as well as highlighting their diverse experience of voice.  I speak to two voice experts, actors at the top of their game, Tanya Moodie, who was recently in the film Empire of Light and Indira Varma, who is known for Game of Thrones and Obi Wan Kenobi, to name just a few…I speak to Nicky Pattinson from the North of England. “Shouldn’t every moment be a magical moment of love and that’s created by the voice?"  Nicky embodies the power of embracing yourself and your accent.I have a conversation with Palestinian American Poet Zeina Azzam . we investigate multicultural identity from her perspective, hear her read her poetry and learn about this high stakes speaking moment.Stay tuned for this and more! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sjharrison.substack.com

Putting our work out into the world can be personally empowering - yet we often run the gamut of difficult emotions when we do so.  “Sitting in vulnerability when we communicate, our voice becomes very clear.”  In this sweet conversation with New Zealand actor, writer and producer Adrian Hooke, we discuss Shakespeare, vocal fry, navigating performance and so much more! Adrian and I became friends when I was playing Gertrude to his Hamlet at the Pop Up Globe in New Zealand.  Hamlet is a vocally  demanding role and Adrian has much to say about the physical & psychological voice.Since graduating Te Kura Toi Whakaari (the New Zealand Drama School) in 2011, Adrian has worked consistently in the creative sector wearing many different hats. He has run a production company, played Hamlet to critical acclaim, directed for screen, composed an award nominated musical, written a TV show, a web series and more advertising than he can remember.For the last three years he has been leading creative teams to deliver video content for some of New Zealand’s biggest brands.None of this would be possible without an understanding of communication and the power of the voice!HOW TO FIND ADRIAN & SJAdrian's Actor ProfileSock Puppet PoliceAdrian & SJ - Pop Up Globe Sizzle ReelBehind the Scenes: SJ Gets Ready to be a QueenHOW TO CONNECT WITH SJIf you'd like to learn more about my one-on-one coaching or global online programs, here's my website. Public speaking tips and reaction videos, can be found on my YouTube Channel.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sjharrison.substack.com