The VOHeroes Podcast

Hey there, hero! So there’s that thing you don’t want to do. That task that seems insurmountable, that conversation that seems uncomfortable, that project that seems confusing and messy. So you put it off. What do you tell yourself to justify your procrastination? It’s OK…sometimes there’s a really good reason to delay things. And sometimes…there’s just avoidance. And maybe, even fear. What are th...

Hey there, hero! Along the lines of what I've mentioned in the past, the rules change as our journey progresses, a hiker once said a version of the title of this episode. The scenery is going to be different as you move through your trek. The same thing happens for us as writers, actors and voice talent. You start off with a set of rules and scenery as a beginner that will be very different f...

Hey there, hero! Sometimes, it’s not just A or B, one or the other. You can often be presented with and virtually frozen in place by a stunning and varied array of options in life, and if you’re confused by all the choices, that overwhelm can be paralyzing. We can spend so much time trying to be safe…to be correct…to make no mistakes. And that can lead to not making any choice at all. Think of all...

Hey there, hero! “Return to the breath.” It’s a common phrase that helps you get back to your center when you’re meditating or doing any sort of calming technique. We self correct when driving as well - watching the wheel, making gentle movements on the wheel to stay in our lane. And we can use this minor adjustment technique in other areas in life, including staying on task as we move through the...

Hey there, hero! I just want to take a moment to tell you how grateful I am to be a part of your journey, and to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of your storytelling support crew. That’s pretty much it. I’m just thankful. And here’s a link to Kindra Hall’s Stories That Stick (I highly recommend this audiobook - she’s amazing and will also make you a better storyteller): http...

Hey there, hero! There can be a big difference between taking action, and hurting yourself by jumping to a reaction without really thinking it through. And there’s a difference between rushing to some action…any action…and taking just a moment to consider your options. Delta and AMEX and a couple who couldn’t wait to post with righteous indignation on Reddit are prominently featured in this episod...

Hey there, hero! Ever been asked to upload a perfectly square image as your profile pic? Sure you have, if you’ve created your profile on, say, ACX.com. The problem is that you’re usually working from a portrait-shaped headshot, that is usually taller than it is wide…definitely NOT square. So, you have to crop a section of just your face. And if you don’t get it just right, ACX will force the imag...

Hey there, hero! Unless you count the awards shows and box office (unfairly) as some sort of barometer of our success (please don’t), there really isn’t any sort of leaderboard or all-star ladder for creatives. Even best-seller lists only judge what’s selling well, not what’s the highest artistic quality. It’s not a race, right? We tell ourselves (and I tell you from time to time) it’s not a compe...

Hey there, hero! Sometimes I feel like my cup overfloweth. There’s no end to what you can learn about our business, and our world, and life. And there’s more knowledge flowing in all the time. Do you have the energy to stay on top of things? Or are you good? Is your bandwidth stretched to the limit? Where are you on the “new knowledge” scale? Are you over the whole adding to your personal knowledg...

Hey there, hero! The story of life is filled with dependencies, with our journey being affected by the challenges in our lives. And when we think about how our situation might be better if we weren’t this or that or the other thing (the grass is always greener, isn’t it?), we can make arbitrary assumptions about how our challenges are so…challenging. And we need to remember that we get to choose t...

Hey there, hero! As if we don’t have enough things in the world today, helping us move toward the anxious end of the scale, and away from the calm end, right? Here’s a simple way to combat that. I was reminded of this approach by the teachers of The Anxiety Toolkit, a free course I’m currently taking that is offered by The Entertainment Community Fund. Hope this helps. If you’ve tried this, was it...

Hey there, hero! Every new advance (decline?) in the development of new AI tools can lead to more and more anxiety for performers. It can also lead to more options for our performance careers. This episode is designed to take a look at both the threat and the promise of AI and synthetic voices and faces in 2025. (If you’re watching this episode just a few months after it was published, this is all...

Hey there, hero! Characters. That word can strike fear in the hearts of narrators that feel that fiction is a whole ‘nother level of effort when it comes to audiobooks. Same thing when the content involves accents or dialects. It’s not necessarily true that non-fiction is easier (you might take on some scientific terms or geographic locations to see why). But characters don’t have to be intimidati...

Hey there, hero! If you’re a professional, acting can take all kinds of forms. TV. Film. Stage. Commercials. Digital. VO. Audiobooks. And so much more. But the rarity of on-camera work is even more pronounced now than it has been in the past. The numbers are very different in some categories than in others. Like, say, audiobooks. Lots more opportunity than in any mainstream on-camera work. But the...

Hey there, hero! So there I am, minding my own business, checking my email after submitting an on-camera audition (I didn’t even change out of my scrubs for this episode), and I see the latest edition of the author of Atomic Habits ( paperback | audiobook ), James Clear’s weekly 3-2-1 newsletter ( subscribe here ). #3 in the third of his gems stopped me in my tracks. He was singing my song. You kn...

Hey there, hero! So you have an audiobook to narrate. Compared to a lot of other acting jobs, it’s a much bigger job - sometimes exponentially larger. And it’s such a big event that it causes us to sometimes assign an outsized scope of the undertaking, and misplace what’s important for success. Yes, you have a lot of tech and process details to deal with. But you also have to do the acting part. C...

Hey there, hero! How many times in our lives have we been presented with the reminder that we are human? That we are messy? That we’re struggling? That we are anything but perfect? And how most of our pursuits simply can’t ever be totally perfect, no matter how much improvement we achieve, and are not life and death situations anyway, so... Do you keep this in mind? Do you give yourself grace that...

Hey there, hero! There is a difference between the capability of doing something…and the actual execution/achievement of that something. It's a subtle distinction. Sometimes we doubt that we are capable of something. Actually achieving whatever that something is may require some additional skills. But…the doubt that creeps into our minds about whether or not we’re capable of doing it - if we...

Hey there, hero! WARNING: This episode contains brief NSFW language. I don’t know what software you use to edit your video stuff, but if it happens to be Descript… …there was a post in a group I’m a member of that was…cringey: “I'm trying to make live presentations more engaging, and I’m curious if there is a feature that makes it look like the presenter is always staring directly into the ca...

Hey there, hero! Life is filled with opportunities, but some of them are scary. And it’s natural to try and limit the risk, especially if you need to put a lot at risk to attempt something new. You might be tempted to take every opportunity to fail-safe the situation. To not go all in for fear of massive defeat. Welp, you’ll never know… …until you actually do the deed. But wait…you have to actuall...

Hey there, hero! Some people worry and fret about what has happened in their past, especially when that past is less than bountiful. They look at failures and past mistakes as things that are regretful, hinder their progress and just can’t be forgotten. And it can really weigh on their mental health to continually live in what was before now. Maybe you're one of them? Occasionally? But what a...

Hey there, hero! I often encourage you to embrace failure: we learn from it, we get better because of it and we identify those things that help us do less of what doesn't work. And that means you can achieve success through failure. Pithy, David. But what does the actual science say? Just like many research projects end up determining...it depends. It depends where you are in your journey of...

Hey there, hero! Most of the decisions that are made in the professional world revolve around money, and they are never on schedule. (Thanks to EM Forster for this episode's thought starter.) Much of what happens is random, unpredictable and not based in the arts, but rather in the commerce. And you need to be OK with that. I hope that money isn't looked at as a bad thing, either from th...

Hey there, hero! This episode revolves around that Deadline article, tough love, math, logic and being careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. And you also might get some unexpected consequences you might be facing. And we need to understand that potential work is at the pleasure of the partners we seek: the people with whom we want to work. And their math is what needs to be und...

Hey there, hero! It's a lovely day when you're recognized as a professional at what you do. You likely get paid. You get respect from your peers. You feel accomplished. But moving from amateur to pro can feel like you're leaving something behind. It just might be...love. I think I can help you bridge the gap between what you gain and what you lose when you make the leap to pro. If y...