speaker-1: Welcome to You're Not Crazy, it's Perimenopause. If you're a woman over 40 and feeling more anxious, not sleeping well, or disconnected from your body, this podcast is for you. I'm your host, Jenny Smith, Functional Medicine Health Coach, here to help you understand what the heck is happening in Perimenopause. Each week, we're diving into real-life conversations about how our changing hormones impact anxiety, sleep, and stress. And I'll share simple strategies to help you feel normal again. So grab a cup of tea or beverage of choice, get comfy, and let's dive in. Welcome back to You're Not Crazy. It's Perimenopause. I am so excited that you're here today because I have a very, very, very special guest. My friend Erin is joining us today, and we're gonna have a great conversation. Around mindset, self-doubt, confidence, all the things that I think so many of us women struggle with. But first, let me introduce you to Erin. Erin Stewart is a voice teacher, mindset coach, and former Broadway performer who helps women reconnect with their voices and rediscover the joy of singing. A certified positive intelligence mindset coach with a master's degree in voice performance. From the Manhattan School of Music, Erin combines vocal training with mindset work to help singers build confidence, quiet self-doubt, and navigate the emotional side of using their voice. She is the creator of A Course in Joyful Singing and the host of the Joyful Singer podcast. Welcome, Erin. Aww.

speaker-0: Thank you, Jenny. Thank you so much for having me on here. I just really love and appreciate the podcast that you've been doing and all the work that you're doing helping women in midlife.

speaker-1: Yeah, thank you. Thank you. And I'm so happy for this conversation. ⁓ real quick, I met Erin through our mutual business coach, Sean Einer. So her and I have known each other three years now? Two years? How long has it been?

speaker-0: See, I started beginning of twenty twenty four, so two and a half years. Okay.

speaker-1: Okay. Okay. Yeah. I think I started around the same time. So we've gotten to know each other really well. We ⁓ stay connected and I think the conversation that we're going to have today is going to be really helpful. And so before we get into that, Erin, can you tell us a little bit more about your story, kind of what led you to become a singing coach for women, specifically for women over 40?

speaker-0: Yes. Well, it's an interesting journey. So yeah, I started out, you know, my career on Broadway was about twenty-five years ago. And I knew from a really young age that I wanted to be singing or doing music somehow. I have two younger sisters, ⁓ I would make them play the piano with me. We would put on musical productions in our bedroom and rope our parents to come in and watch them. And I loved bossing them around and I was very focused and driven, you know, early on. Worked really hard. I went to school and I studied music and singing. And then right out of graduate school, I was very lucky and I booked the Phantom of the Opera. And it was it really was a dream job. And I worked, you know, pretty steadily doing musical theater shows ⁓ on Broadway, off Broadway, around the world. And then fast forward, I was doing the Broadway revival of a little night music. And we we'd all gotten called in to a meeting with the producers, which is never a good sign. And so we're all on stage in a circle, and the producers let us know that the show was gonna close. And, you know, I was looking around and and seeing a lot of sadness. And a lot of people were devastated. They're losing their jobs. These are dream jobs for all of us. And I felt relief. You know, like I noticed that I was relieved that the show was closing and I didn't feel devastated that this dream job was ending. And I I felt a little sad I felt a little sad about that, but confused and you know, wondered about that. ⁓ but I you know, I was burned out. I I was tired. ⁓ I just felt done. I wasn't happy singing and performing anymore. ⁓ and it had a lot to do with the way that I was pushing myself. And pushing myself in a way that just was not sustainable because my sense of self-worth was completely wrapped up in how I was what I was performing, what I was singing, what Broadway show I was in. I was very hard on myself. I criticized myself constantly. I I was my own worst critic. I couldn't listen back to my singing without hating on it. Like it was just never good enough. So That show closed and my husband and I were ready to start a family and we had our son and I did do a few more singing jobs. But I decided that I wanted to transition away from performing as a living, you know, full-time and I and I wanted to be teaching and I wanted to be coaching and helping other singers. And we moved out of New York City and I started adjuncting at a local college. And I found that I really loved helping singers and I loved helping them, not just with the vocal technique part. I found I realized that I loved helping them to work through the blocks that were coming up around their voice, the limiting beliefs that we carry around our voices. And I loved that singing was so much more than just these tiny muscles, you know, in our throats. And I loved how freeing your voice could have such an impact in other parts of your life, you know? And I noticed that singers needed more support than just technical support and that more tools. were needed. And right around this time, this is when ⁓ my dad passed away from pancreatic cancer. And that was a a big shock ⁓ and a jolt. And I literally lost my voice. And I would go to sing and it just felt blocked. I was thinking about this recently and I remember journaling that it felt like my voice was like in a steel box, just sealed shut and I didn't have the key. To get it out. Like I didn't know how to access it anymore. That's how it felt. and and I had but I had a concert coming up at Carnegie Hall and I was really I was really struggling and I got laryngitis. And if I'm being honest, I really struggled with singing for a couple of years and I took a break and I stopped singing totally. And then when I was ready to come back to my voice, it it it it felt bewildering, like I didn't know how to get back to it. And so that's the period of time. That period in my life of coming back to my voice that really changed everything for me because I realized that this wasn't about singing perfectly. It wasn't about technique. This was about working with a whole other layer that ⁓ connected with singing that I just wasn't taught to work with, which is like grief and my identity and the relationship that I had with my voice and the way that I talked to myself. And I didn't want to go back. To the way I had been doing things. I didn't want to keep pushing myself with that harsh inner critic voice. And so that was a turning point. And I made this decision to go on a journey with my voice. I wanted to find a different way. And so it was that journey, those discoveries that I made that I love sharing with other singers. And I began to see that there are so many of us, ⁓ particularly women over 40, who need this information, who, you know, maybe are going through. changes in their voices changes in their bodies. ⁓ it's it's definitely a time where that inner critic voice is going to be particularly heightened because of what society tells us about those changes. You know, maybe women who have taken a break from singing and are just trying to get back to it, but it feels differently and they don't know how to get to it. ⁓ and also many women who have always been singing curious maybe had a dream to To do some singing ⁓ and are going through something in their lives that working on your voice could be it beneficial and have, you know, a big impact.

speaker-1: Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I love your story. I love your story. And what and what caught my attention was that you were doing this play ⁓ or musical and they said it's ending and you had this relief. And how many of us are working a job where we're not happy? And if they said we're laying you off, yeah, there might be some stress involved, especially if you're counting all that income. But if you have this feeling in your body where you're like, ⁓ Hallelujah. Thank you. I am so glad to be done with that. Then that's a sign that you were ready, but someone else had to give you that push to transition. And I think, and maybe I don't know if you've thought about this, like if you didn't have that happen to you, would you still be singing and performing? Like how would that have changed the trajectory of your path and what you're doing now with coaching and teaching?

speaker-0: Totally. I mean everything happens for a reason, right? For sure. It was definitely a nudge. It was a wake up call. Yeah. I think I would have probably burnt out eventually. I was like already, you know, headed in that direction. But it came at the right time. It was perfect timing. So I'm glad I even though I felt bad and guilty that, you know, ⁓ I'm gosh, how many people would be so would kill for a job on Broadway? You know? Like

speaker-1: Well, and that's probably why you're like, I can't give this up. It's like a position so many women want. I'd be like that there must be something wrong if I want to give this up. But it's Yeah. And again, it's like the the bigger picture of this is what we should be doing because this is my career and and all of that. Yeah, for sure. So you had also mentioned and you work specifically with singers and my audience, not all of them are singers, but we can all relate to the changes that happen in our body. And in our voice and just in our physical appearances, and how we might be especially thinking about just career in general. Women are aging and then the younger folks are coming in. They might feel like I'm not able to keep up or I might not be as sharp as I used to be. ⁓ is this person gonna come in and take my role? I really just wanna rest. And I talk about all the time how when we transition into the forties, into the 50s, we are designed to slow down a little bit. And many of us are not slowing down. So with with that, you know, I think the judgment comes in. We start to judge ourselves. And I'm sure your clients are all about judging themselves and you help them reframe that. So what are some of the common things that women come to you with as far as like what are the common challenges that they are dealing with that you work with them on.

speaker-0: Yeah, definitely. So, you know, I think that it's so common for many, if not most of us, to feel so much shame around our voice, you know. You hear it a lot, like you hear the sound of your voice in a recording, you know, on the voice message, whatever, and you cringe and it's like, ⁓ I hate the sound of my own voice. And you know, you can c you can be a singer. You don't have to be a singer. There's lots of apologizing for the way you sound, the belief that you're not good enough, ⁓ that you're not worthy, that you should be farther along. ⁓ there's a lot of fear around making sound, around just making bigger sounds. I think there's a a fear of looking foolish. And There's a fear of being bad. So that's the thing that I get asked all the time. Does this sound, is this good? What I just did, is that good? Quote unquote good. Does that sound bad? ⁓ and because we're hung up on that, that this idea that either our voice is good or bad, we miss out on the opportunity to just make sounds without judgment, to be able to play and, you know, explore and find. More ways to find freedom because that's how you find your answers is through that exploration, that unedited exploration. I know, you know, people talk about that like with writing. If you sit down to write, you can't be editing yourself as you're writing, right? Like you just get it all out on on the paper. It's the same with singing too. You just have to make some sounds. And ⁓ you know, that's how you find your answers. And that is one of my goals is to ⁓ encourage. I mean, ⁓ I talk about this a lot, how to create safety within your own space to feel safe to sing. And for me, when I'm facilitating that kind of experience, ⁓ to make sure that it feels safe, that it feels loving and encouraging. Because I had an experience with a voice teacher that I won't get into, but it was not safe. It was actually very traumatizing. And it is the reason I am deeply committed to creating a safe container for singers, for women to connect with their voices because it's so vulnerable. You know, sing connecting with our voices vulnerable work. It's probably one of the I mean, I've heard I hear this a lot. Singing is like one of the it's the requires the most courage, you know, to do. And so trust is really important.

speaker-1: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that makes so much sense. And as you're saying this, I'm relating it to my profession. As you know, we create reels on Instagram and we have to use our voice, we have to use our creativity. And in this in the way that you're describing how singers can be s criticizing themselves and critiquing themselves, does this sound good? Is this bad? Instead of enjoying the process. I can relate in the same way as being on social media and putting myself up there and being vulnerable when I really want to be having more fun versus judging myself and is this good enough? Is this I gotta do it again? I have to start over. And I think it just comes from this is just my thoughts. I think, especially women, and we're all different in in our how we've lived our life, we're all different. However, so many of us are judged and criticized a lot by people. And so it's really hard to to s to step away from that. And I can see why it's so valuable to have you as a coach, especially for singers, when they have to go up and audition and they have to get on stage and well, they they get to get on stage and perform and working with you to improve their confidence and ⁓ quiet the self doubt. And so you mentioned that you are a certified positive intelligent mindset coach. What does that mean? So

speaker-0: Positive intelligence was created by ⁓ Shirzad Shamin. He wrote a book. I have it somewhere over here. It's called Positive Intelligence for anybody who's who's interested. But it really is about identifying the very specific ways in which we self-sabotage. So you can think of it kind of at the if we had there's a hierarchy ⁓ at the very top of the food chain is the inner critic. So we all have an inner critic. And then with that system, they talk about these nine other specific ways in which we self-sabotage. The that system really kind of focuses on the negative part about each of those qualities. You can think of them as strategies that we all developed as children to to manage and cope. But The thing that I feel like is missing and that needs to be talked about is that these are also our gifts. Like each of these nine ways that we can self-sabotage are also the things that make us unique and set us apart. And there are gifts. And so it's learning how to ⁓ work with those gifts in a way that doesn't take you to the dark side where you're being motivated through negative feelings ⁓ and emotions and ⁓ creating awareness around that.

speaker-1: Mm.

speaker-0: And you know, they you can think of it as ⁓ you know, being able to connect with this deeper, wiser part of yourself, that that is what's going to lead you to where you want to go much better than the way that we're all used to motivating ourselves, which is through negative emotions. And the inner critic is my is like one of my favorite topics talking about.

speaker-1: Yeah. And so the inner critic, how does it show up for the women that you work with who are working towards ⁓ their goal of singing? And you mentioned that you work with all types of singers and I love to sing. I I told you this. Like I love to sing in the shower. I I find myself humming all the time and it's just it relaxes me. So you work with all types of singers, not just professional singers. So the women that come to work with you and you're working with them on their inner critic. How how ⁓ does it show up in everyday life? Like do you notice a correlation like, ⁓ it's happening here on the stage or in performing and it's also happening in these areas of their life. Have you noticed like a correlation? ⁓ my gosh.

speaker-0: Yes, definitely. First of all, I just want to say that Jenny, I love that you are are singing and and incorporating it into your everyday and that you find yourself humming. It's so good for you and that's amazing. And ⁓ everybody should be singing. If you feel inclined to do it, you know, I I just want to encourage you if you're listening and you're curious, ⁓ give yourself permission to to t to try that and explore that. ⁓ yeah, I mean the inner critic voice is a voice that we all have. Everybody has This voice and from an evolutionary standpoint, it was there to keep us safe, to keep us from getting eaten by a tiger, to keep us from getting kicked out of the tribe, you know, to prevent risky behavior that would end our lives. But it's so it's that same voice now that's like ruling our life. It's reacting to things like singing in public or, you know, trying out something new and treating it as if it's a survival threat. And your inner critic voice is just.

speaker-1: Mm-hmm.

speaker-0: It's just trying so hard to keep you safe. And when you think about it like that, then you can give it ⁓ love. You know, we can we can make a little space around it. It's just trying to protect us, but it's not the whole truth. And if ⁓ if we have time, I would love to share a quick story about an experience that I had where I I this is where I I realize this idea of what is true. Because, you know, we look in the mirror and There are a lot of thoughts that come up, right? We we see all of the flaws and then several or a picture's taken and we're looking at the photograph and we're like, ⁓ my God. And then we look back at that picture and you say, What was what was wrong with me? Right. So, you know, I when I was in graduate school, I had to do a ⁓ a recital at the end of my time as part of my masters. You could think of it like a dissertation. It's an hour long ⁓ concert that you prepare for and it was just, you know, it's just you singing for a whole hour. And I worked really hard for that. And I did the recital and I thought it went really well and I was pleased. And then I got home and I made the mistake of listening to the recording right away, which I don't recommend for those who have recordings of performances. Don't listen right away. But I did that and I was devastated because I all I heard were flaws, bad things. I th I sounded like an amateur in my mind. It was like nothing like I had remembered it going. And so fast forward, you know, I don't know, six or seven years ago, I actually came across that recording and I was fully prepared to hate it. Like I remembered, I could go back and feel those feelings in my body, remember the thoughts that I had. Like I remember how I sounded. And I listened to the recording and I was so just my mind was blown because it was not anything like I remembered it, Jenny. Like it was nuanced and skilled. Yeah. Beauty. And I was like, ⁓ my God, Erin, you go you. You kicked ass. And so it was such a lesson in that moment of like, ⁓ my God, what it what is true? What is true with a capital T? And I realized that what happened in gr you know at the end of my recital, and I was listening that night, I was listening with ears that were completely hijacked by my inner critic. So I could not possibly hear anything good because the inner critic focuses on.

speaker-1: But

speaker-0: Flaws, what is wrong? That is the the inner critic is driven to to zero in on what is wrong as a way to keep you safe. So, but it's not it's not the whole truth. It's not the full picture. And so when we're looking at pictures of ourselves in the moment, we're not able, if we are hijacked by our inner critic, we're only gonna be zeroing in on flaws, which is why I mean several years later I look back and say, ⁓ my gosh.

speaker-1: Yeah. So what do you recommend women do in in situations like that? Like I can think of, for an example, like looking in the mirror, just talking to to clients and talking to my friends, like we just pick each other we pick ourselves apart, not each other. We pick ourselves apart, but each of us has something about themselves that they don't like or they want to change. Or I know for me turning 50 this year, the hardest heart is looking in the mirror going, ⁓ my gosh, like my elasticity, I'm losing it. Like like the face is starting to change. And I can't help but notice that. So what do I what do we do in that situation to ref to reframe it so that we're not beating ourselves up?

speaker-0: Right. Yeah, I think that just knowing that we have that voice, ⁓ and being able to create just a little bit of space around it is so powerful. Again, if we are if we know that we are prone to ask the question, what is wrong? If we can catch ourselves, then we can say w what is right? What is right with this face that I have? you know, that I'm looking at. Or what is right with these sounds that I'm hearing and and being super specific, because we can just again with the good and the bad, it's all bad or it's all you know, we want it to all be good. If we can get specific and really celebrate what is right, I think that that is a great ⁓ starting point. If I'm working with women who have never sung, ⁓ or singers that you know, are trying to get back to their voices again. ⁓ it's espe especially with these groups, when you're first starting out something, you're gonna feel less likely to feel inclined to take risks. It's gonna feel like that survival threat that I was talking about. And you know then that your inner critic is going to be super activated. You're making sounds that you've never made before, but it I just knowing that is so helpful. ⁓ There it is. There's that voice. You know, we can catch the reaction and we can work to put it in perspective and again try to create space around this voice and bring in love and empathy because it really is about taking the time to connect with that loving, wise part of ourselves that's gonna do a much, much better job of holding ourselves, walking ourselves through the process of connecting with your voice, trying out something new, taking risks. That's gonna do a much better job of getting you through that process than the inner critic ever will. And you know, that wise part of yourself, it's rooted in love, it's rooted in compassion and kindness and encouragement. The inner critic is the voice that's gonna ultimately keep you small. You know, I definitely achieved dreams by using my inner critic as my strategy. I'm not saying that you can't push yourself forward, but you're gonna burn out, you're gonna play it safe, and it's gonna ultimately hold you from really your true potential. And ⁓ you know, I think yeah.

speaker-1: Ladies who are listening to this, ask yourself, what is your inner critic telling you? And how is it showing up in your life? Are you playing small in areas of your life? And I like how you shared that it's keeping us safe. Our inner critic is designed to protect us. And I just mentioned ⁓ being hard on myself sometimes when I look in the mirror. And one of the things that works for me and getting out of that funk before Before because it is it is a change. It is a transition to go from youthfulness to middle age where we just don't look the same. And for me, it's it's a gift to age. And I always tell myself that these wrinkles represent a life well lived, and not everyone gets to a place where they have the wrinkles. They don't live as long, especially with losing my mom at such a young age. She was 52 and she passed. So I always remind myself that it is a gift that I'm here and not everyone is so blessed. And I like how you said too what are what are the good things? Like what are what are your gifts? Having compassion, what's going right? What is right with you? What do you like? Maybe even asking other people like what are you like, can you look at this performance and maybe give me feedback or can you look at this and share what you see? Because it is all about perspective. Right. Like we could be looking at w the same picture and we'll have completely different perspectives on it. I had lunch with a friend the other day and she showed me this license plate and she goes, What do you see? And I said, s Sue and it was S E W G R eight. So so great. She saw sewage, I saw Sue. Neither one of us saw what it w what it was supposed to say, the hidden message. But like it's so great. Like she's a seamstress. She's probably so is great. I saw Sue. She saw Sue. We're looking at the same thing. She's like, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? I'm all Sue. It's so cool.

speaker-0: My god, I love that. It's so true. And I love what and I love what you just said too about, you know, the gi the that it's a gift. Also taking the time to ⁓ paint gratitude for yeah, what is going, what's working. Yeah.

speaker-1: is so helpful in so many ways, especially with like stress too, just feeling overwhelmed with things that are going in your life. If you can just stop and pause and be grateful for one or two things in your life, it can change it can change your your nervous system. Yeah. Speaking of what happens in the brain and body when we sing.

speaker-0: Gosh, I I just I love I love this is like one of my favorite topics because singing is about so much more than just, you know, the voice that it is whole body, whole brain experience. Like I think about my grandmother, she had dementia and she couldn't even remember who we were, but she could remember whole lyrics to you know, long songs from a time 70 years earlier in her life. So ⁓ so singing is like amazing. It's ⁓ You know, it h it your brain is lighting up in multiple regions. ⁓ so it's a full brain workout. It's ⁓ it's helping to regulate your nervous system because you are slowing down your breath. It's controlled breathing, so it's stimulating the vagus nerve. ⁓ that's gonna help lower your heart rate, reduce the stress hormones, help promote, you know, feelings of safety and calm. It can help improve emotional regulation. Like I I always feel better when I sing. I know you talk about this like with exercise, a workout. Like you just mentioned that I think in a recent podcast with maybe Adelaide, that you always feel better. You you know, maybe you don't want to do it or there's hesitation or a block, but you do it and you always feel better. You don't regret it. And that's for me it's the obviously the same with a workout, but also with singing too. Like ⁓ when I practice, I always feel better when I do that. So it increases dopamine and endorphins and oxytocin. It's great for your lungs and breathing, deeper diaphragmatic breathing with singing, better breath control, ⁓ can help with releasing tension because you're coordinating muscles in a way, ⁓ when it's done well, you're going to y with the breath muscles in your core muscles and ⁓ face muscles and muscles in the neck and the jaw, as you're working to release tension, you're gonna experience, you know, physical ease that's gonna extend beyond singing. It's a creative outlet, you know? Yeah. Let your inner artist out. It's it's it's joyful. It's a sense of ⁓ confidence building, sense of self. And the other thing too is is that it create social connection. If you join a choir or you sing with others or ⁓ collaborate with other musicians, if you're into doing that, then you get that social connection. And there's like a ton of research about that just makes us happier. We know that.

speaker-1: Hmm. So yeah. Yeah. If there's any singers listening, if you feel like your lost, what is the word I'm looking for? Your lost talent got like swept to the side like I do. I think that I really let it go. I'm thinking about when I was little. I used to love to sing and I I still do. I I hum all the time when I'm doing dishes. I will sing when I'm doing dishes. I'll sing in the shower. I think it is my body's way of decompressing and reducing stress. But I remember as a little girl, I would just belt out tunes. And my mom and dad would be like, Jenny, be quiet. Go in your room. Yeah. Yeah. So it was kind of like that message: shut it down, sh quiet your voice. And I don't blame them. You know, it was my daughter does it now, and I'm just like, ⁓ So I go in my room and I shut the door because it is so loud and distracting, depending on what I'm doing. But she's the same way. She's so much like me, where she's doing dishes. She's doing a task that she does not like to do and doesn't want to do it. She puts on Amazon Alexa one of her songs and she starts belting it out. And it helps her get through that mundane task. Yeah. It's so

speaker-0: I know it's so true. We do it naturally as young people. And I know. And unfortunately, it's yeah, it is one of those things where we did then get the message that we shouldn't be doing that. I think, especially as women, gotta dial that down. Be quiet, please please others. That's your job. And so I think that's why I think it's especially hard for women, ⁓ especially over 40. to do voice work, but that's why I feel like it's also like so healing. Yeah.

speaker-1: So Yeah, and you mentioned so tell us a little bit more about your program, like your singing group, because you do you do private lessons, but you also do group work. So is that open to anybody? How does that work?

speaker-0: Yes. So the Joyful Singing, I call it a course in Joyful Singing. It is a program and it is open to anyone who is ⁓ has complicated feelings around their voice, is looking to go on a journey with their voice because ⁓ it's providing that whole person support. It's not just about vocal technique, it's all of the things that we mentioned: nervous system, mindset, whole body, emotion, working through the baggage that we're all carrying ⁓ as it relates to our voices. So it really is ⁓ com it has the community part. So there's a lot of built in support to ⁓ take you on this journey. It's you have the program for life and it's meant to yeah, just help facilitate that. Yes, we have two live calls every

speaker-1: Do you meet in a group? Okay. So there you go. As far as like you mentioned the social joining a choir, joining a club. They get that social connection. Yes. Yeah. Definitely. So if they're a part of that group, do they get the live calls indefinitely or just the program is indefinitely and then they do?

speaker-0: We do get live coffee.

speaker-1: Yeah. Yeah. I think that's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. And and the information that you put out on social media is so motivating. You're so consistent on there. Yeah. Which you inspire me to be too. Cause being a one man band and having to create content alongside our jobs and what we're doing, it's challenging. And so, Aaron, you do a really great job of that and showing up and just motivating us to see the joy in everything.

speaker-0: I appreciate that. Likewise, I feel the same about you.

speaker-1: Again, I'm my own worst critic. I think sometimes my content is but I get it. I know. I need to take a different perspective.

speaker-0: You know, it's not that we don't ha we're not gonna like suddenly not have these thoughts, right? It's just we're gonna have them, but it's like how do you deal with it? How do you manage them? What's it are you gonna let it keep you you're not letting it keeping you from keep you from posting and sharing and so that's

speaker-1: No. No, we're behind the mission. Our mission is greater than our our fear and our inner critic, right? Yeah. Okay, so before we wrap up, what's one simple challenge listeners can do this week to reconnect with their voice and joy?

speaker-0: Gosh. Okay. So go below some bubbles.

speaker-1: Are you gonna talk about S O V G T what's it called?

speaker-0: I won't n I won't totally nerd out on that right now. But

speaker-1: ⁓ I love ⁓ I love these exercises.

speaker-0: Well, so if you just grab a glass of water, if you're at home, fill it a third way full, grab a regular sized plastic or metal drinking straw. Unfortunately, the paper ones don't work as well. First you're just gonna blow bubbles and you're just gonna go for a steady stream of bubbles. And if you get splashed in the face, you'll back off on your breath pressure if it's cutting out. So we're just like working with what is our breathing doing. So you're just going for steady stream. I don't know if you can hear that through the mic, but then you can add sound to it and you're just thinking about ooing into your straw. So this is it really takes the pressure off. It's like we go to sing and we think, ⁓ I gotta make big sounds and it has to be perfect. And this really takes the pressure off because they're small, easy, gentle, no pressure sounds that are actually so amazing for your voice. So yeah.

speaker-1: I would like to share feedback on that because Aaron taught me how to do these SBTs, right? S B Ts?

speaker-0: Yeah, it stands for semi-occluded vocal tract.

speaker-1: Extra. Okay. But you don't need to memorize that. No. I I am so soft spoken and if I talk for about half hour into a presentation, if I do a workshop or anything like that, I start to get raspy. I start to lose my voice. And so before my workshops, I do these exercises. And I did do a little bit before our interview today.

speaker-0: I can totally wear it.

speaker-1: Yeah. It is wild how big of a difference it makes when you do that with your voice. Like it it just it feels like it's stronger, it's clearer, it's sharper, and it's the coolest thing. Totally.

speaker-0: Totally. Yes, these are amazing exercises for anybody, especially those who are using your voice. Like teachers, you're using your voice all day long. I hear this all the time from laryngologists. Gosh, I wish teachers would just, you know, be doing SOBTs because like you said, they make it they just make it ⁓ more efficient. So you'll notice after doing even just like a couple minutes, if you're just sliding around, you could do do do it along to your favorite song. ⁓ just sliding around in the straw in the water. You'll notice afterwards that your voice, like you said, it feels more powerful, it feels clear. You'll notice that it's up more in the mask, meaning you're not you're not talking higher. It's not like you're talking in a higher range. You're just talking more up in your face as opposed to kind of being down here in your throat, which gets super. super tiring and we do that when we're tired. So if you are noticing that you're feeling vocal fatigue, gosh, pull out the straw in the water and do some of that and that will really help to alleviate that.

speaker-1: I think you have a video on Instagram that shows them how to do that, right? Is it pinned?

speaker-0: I do. I don't think it's pinned, but also I was just gonna mention that I have a joyful singing starter kit on my on my website. If you go to Aaron Stewart.net slash ⁓ starter kit, there's a workbook in there, there's a guided centering exercise meditation, and then also like a 12, I think it's around 12 minutes ⁓ a video warm-up. where I go really deep with all the SOVTs, walk you through ⁓ how to do that. I just actually updated it on Friday and I'm really excited about it. So it's free. It's free. Go download it. It will ⁓ you'll learn more about it. Yeah.

speaker-1: We'll link that in the show notes. Okay. ⁓ so that you guys can get that. That's really that's exciting. Okay. So are there any last thoughts or words to share with the audience, listeners? ⁓

speaker-0: I just want women to know that it's not too late. You know, wherever you are on your journey with your voice, if it's been years since you've been singing, ⁓ if you sing but you wanted to feel more joyful, or if you have never sung at all, it's it's just it's not too late to find more freedom in your voice and more expansion and more joy. And you are allowed to sing. You are allowed to make noise, you are allowed to discover this part of yourself. And you should, because it's an amazing gift that you can give to yourself. And the one other thing that I really wanna ⁓ say that I want to share with your audience that is to me probably the most important of all is to bring the same love and kindness that you show to others so easily, the empathy and the love that that we have for our our family and our kids and the friends that we have in are in our circles, the encouragement and the kindness and just the kinds of things that you say to others. To bring that to yourself, to speak kindly to yourself and show yourself that same love and respect and consideration.

speaker-1: I love that. I love that. Thank you so much, Erin. Yeah, we don't. We don't we don't ever think to nurture ourselves. We're nurturing. We're women and women are are more designed to be nurturers, but we often neglect ourselves in that. So thank you for that. And and just letting them know, hey, check in with yourself and and what do you need right now and how can you show yourself some more love and care.

speaker-0: Exactly. And you know, connecting with your voice can be that kind of self care. It can help facilitate that for yourself.

speaker-1: Yeah. Well, I I plan on singing like crazy, continuing it. Like my husband, he's okay. He just walks away, you know. I'm waiting for him to say how amazing I sound and that I should go try out for the voice or something, but he hasn't gotten to that yet.

speaker-0: You just keep on doing it, Jenny. Do it.

speaker-1: Do it for you. ⁓ that's so funny. ⁓ all all fun. So, okay, and we're going to include the starter kit in the show notes, but where can women find you?

speaker-0: So you can find me on Instagram at JoyfulSinging with Aaron, ⁓ or my website, ⁓ Aaron Stewart.net. And also I have a new podcast that I started just shortly after your podcast. Yay! The Joyful Singer podcast. Wherever you stream your podcasts.

speaker-1: Yeah, okay, I'll put that all that in the show notes. And thank you so much, Erin, for joining us today and this great conversation. And I hope that women take lots of value from it, mostly ⁓ just recognizing that that yeah, we are designed to have an inner critic. And what can we do to kind of shift that perspective and use it in a way that brings us more joy into our lives? So thank you, ladies, so much for being here and tuning in. If you are loving the podcast, it would mean so much to me if you can leave a rating and review. It helps get the word out to more women. And I will see you next week. Take care, everyone.