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Burnout can creep up quietly - until one day you realise you’ve got nothing left to give.

In this honest, wide-ranging conversation, Dr Gillyanne Kayes, Jeremy Fisher and guest Dr Marisa Lee Naismith (host of A Voice and Beyond) talk about burnout in the performing arts: how it happens, what it feels like, and what recovery really takes.

We explore:

The link between trauma, stress, and burnout

Boundaries and learning to say “I don’t have the capacity”

Why people-pleasing drives exhaustion

The real brain changes in burnout and how to reset

What it means to honour yourself as a creative

This episode includes insights from Stress Burnout Reset by Kerry Norton, reflections on somatic recovery, and practical tools for singers and teachers finding their way back to balance.

00:00 Intro and Phlegm Alert
02:10 When Burnout Creeps Up On You
03:23 Losing Everything and Working Harder
05:39 Adversity vs Trauma
07:53 Burnout in the Performing Arts
08:41 Self-Worth and People-Pleasing
11:11 Learning To Say No And Setting Boundaries
15:19 The 24-7 Access Problem
19:28 The Power Of Saying "I Don't Have The Capacity"
22:07 What Burnout Does To The Brain
25:25 Recovery Tools and Somatic Practices
33:45 Maria's Final Reflections - Honouring Yourself

Watch, reflect, and share your experience of burnout in the comments.


Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more insightful episodes. Leave a comment below on what inspired you the most! 👇

You can find out about our Teacher Accreditation for singing teachers, vocal coaches and choir leaders and start your own journey here 
https://vocalprocess.co.uk/teacher-accreditation/

We've also got this ↓ 

For the best self-guided learning, check out the Vocal Process Learning Lounge - 22 years of vocal coaching resources (over 600 videos) for less than the price of one private singing lesson. 
Click on the link https://vocalprocess.co.uk/learning-lounge/learning-lounge-level-2-deep-dive/
 
If you want to discover if our singing teacher training programme works for YOU, message us - we can share the process for joining Cohort26. https://www.cognitoforms.com/VocalProcess1/TheAccreditationProgramme 

Get the One Minute Voice Warmup app here, it's got a 4.9star rating 
Appstore https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/one-minute-voice-warmup/id1212802251 
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.speechtools.warmup&hl=en_GB  
 
Check out our Voice Journal, written with Rayvox's Oren Boder https://www.rayvox.co.uk/products/voice-journal?ref=VOCALPROCESS 
 
Find us - follow us on the socials! 
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Vocalprocess   
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vocalprocess  
📖 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vocalprocess

 #vocalprocess #teacheraccreditation #voicetraining

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If you’ve ever felt exhausted, cynical or “not good enough,” this episode will help you spot the signs, set boundaries and start recovering - without guilt.

What really causes burnout in musicians, singers, teachers, and students?
In this second episode of This Is A Voice on burnout, Dr. Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher discuss the physical, emotional, and systemic roots of burnout - with two special guests offering different perspectives.

Dr Ayan Panja (NHS GP, Saving Lives In Slow Motion podcast) explains why burnout isn’t just “being tired” - and what really happens when empathy and perfectionism collide.

Richard Delaney (Programme Leader, BA Hons Acting: Contemporary and Devised at Royal Central School of Speech & Drama) reveals how time poverty and constant assessment are burning out a generation of creative students.

Plus, Gillyanne and Jeremy share their own stories of freelance burnout, people-pleasing and finding balance as performers and coaches.

Listen now and share it with a friend who might need it.
Featuring clips from Saving Lives In Slow Motion (used with permission).

You can find out about Ayan's work and join his podcast on https://drayan.co.uk/

You can find out about Richard's work on https://www.richardddelaney.com/

Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more insightful episodes. Leave a comment below on what inspired you the most! 👇

You can find out about our Teacher Accreditation for singing teachers, vocal coaches and choir leaders and start your own journey here 
https://vocalprocess.co.uk/teacher-accreditation/

We've also got this ↓ 

For the best self-guided learning, check out the Vocal Process Learning Lounge - 22 years of vocal coaching resources (over 600 videos) for less than the price of one private singing lesson. 
Click on the link https://vocalprocess.co.uk/learning-lounge/learning-lounge-level-2-deep-dive/
 
If you want to discover if our singing teacher training programme works for YOU, message us - we can share the process for joining Cohort26. https://www.cognitoforms.com/VocalProcess1/TheAccreditationProgramme 

Get the One Minute Voice Warmup app here, it's got a 4.9star rating 
Appstore https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/one-minute-voice-warmup/id1212802251 
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.speechtools.warmup&hl=en_GB  
 
Check out our Voice Journal, written with Rayvox's Oren Boder https://www.rayvox.co.uk/products/voice-journal?ref=VOCALPROCESS 
 
Find us - follow us on the socials! 
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Vocalprocess   
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vocalprocess  
📖 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vocalprocess

#vocalprocess #teacheraccreditation #voicetraining

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What actually happens in a top-tier vocal coach's studio? What is "crack sob" and why is it so common in Broadway belting? What's the deal with voice rehab?
In this episode of This Is A Voice, Gillyanne and Jeremy are joined once again by Mike Ruckles - Broadway vocal coach and Singing Voice Specialist - to explore the fine line between SLPs (SLTs in the UK), ENTs and voice teachers in voice rehabilitation.
From navigating professional boundaries in vocal rehab to decoding the latest Journal of Voice research on "register instability", we're chatting about the world of high-level voice care.
Whether you're a singing teacher, voice professional, or just obsessed with vocal health and performance, this one's a must-watch.

00:00 Vocal health for singers on Broadway
02:12 Singing voice rehab when not an SLP/SLT
06:00 Jeremy’s word of caution on vocal rehab
08:45 The role of an SVS (singing voice specialist)
09:33 Gillyanne’s story of the singer’s diagnosis
12:12 Teaching MT role vs tour gig
15:19 Can we talk about key?
17:53 Researching the crack/sob
22:16 The process of research

🔗 Read the published study:
PubMed Abstract https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40087078/
Direct Access via Elsevier https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0892199725000918?dgcid=author

🔔 Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more insightful episodes from industry leaders, voice scientists and vocal coaches.  Got experience with voice clinics or vocal injury? 👇

You can find out about our Teacher Accreditation for singing teachers, vocal coaches and choir leaders and start your own journey here 
https://vocalprocess.co.uk/teacher-accreditation/

We've also got this ↓ 

For the best self-guided learning, check out the Vocal Process Learning Lounge - 22 years of vocal coaching resources (over 600 videos) for less than the price of one private singing lesson. 
Click on the link https://vocalprocess.co.uk/learning-lounge/learning-lounge-level-2-deep-dive/
 
If you want to discover if our singing teacher training programme works for YOU, message us - we can share the process for joining Cohort26. https://www.cognitoforms.com/VocalProcess1/TheAccreditationProgramme 

Get the One Minute Voice Warmup app here, it's got a 4.9star rating 
Appstore https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/one-minute-voice-warmup/id1212802251 
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.speechtools.warmup&hl=en_GB  
 
Check out our Voice Journal, written with Rayvox's Oren Boder https://www.rayvox.co.uk/products/voice-journal?ref=VOCALPROCESS 
 
Find us - follow us on the socials! 
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Vocalprocess   
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vocalprocess  
📖 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vocalprocess

 #vocalprocess #teacheraccreditation #voicetraining, #voicerehabilitation, #singingvoicespecialist, #broadway

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We're talking about Covid and voice, breathing and singing.
Phoene Cave, music therapist, singer, trainer and developer of the Singing For Lung Health sequences chats to us about her life, singing for people who have chronic lung conditions, and what she thinks is the single most underrated skill for singing leaders.
Why Exercise Induced Laryngeal Obstruction is sometimes misdiagnosed as asthma
What you need as a Singing for Lung Health leader (and why you need to know what your vocal techniques actually do)
Why she's started writing her own songs again after 20 years
And of course, the unpredictable effects of Covid

Phoene's website The Musical Breath http://www.themusicalbreath.com

Singing For Breathing exercises http://www.themusicalbreath.com/singing-for-breathing-exercises/
(50% of profits go to the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals to support the Singing For Breathing project here) https://www.rbht.nhs.uk/about-us/our-charities-and-rbharts/singing-for-breathing

Twitter link @OmPhoenix

Singing With One Voice - article by Phoene Cave https://lahf.wordpress.com/2017/03/22/singing-with-one-voice/

British Lung Foundation https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/singing-for-lung-health/improve-your-wellbeing

This Is A Voice book by Gillyanne and Jeremy https://amzn.to/3qcEXui

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Why we don't do "vocal coach reacts to" videos, and when we might
The single most important difference between a singer and a singing teacher (and the simple reason why great singers might not be great teachers)
Vowel shaping
When to listen to the speaking voice of a singer and why
Teaching two different people the same Belt technique
And Jeremy demonstrates exactly what's being discussed with a line from a "legit" musical theatre piece

Check out the Popup Workshops and Masterclasses we run here
https://store.vocalprocess.co.uk

Book a 1-1 coaching session or teacher mentoring session with Jeremy or Gillyanne here
https://DrGillyanneKayesJeremyFisherInspirationSession.as.me/

Find out more about vowel tuning, physiology of singing, and some of the vocal exercises we use in our This Is A Voice book, available at any good bookstore
https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Voice-exercises-project-harness/dp/1999809025/

Send us your AMAs on https://speakpipe.com/Vocalprocess, it's quick, easy and direct from your phone, tablet or computer

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We're talking to Nic Redman and Leah Marks from the excellent podcast TheVOSocial
How Leah and Nic got into voiceovers
What a portfolio career means for an actor
Voiceover genres
Finding your niche
Dream jobs
Why Gillyanne and Nic are passionate about vocal education
How Leah and Jeremy found podcasts as a playground for their talents
And of course, What's in your mug?

FYI The disaster that you hope never happens, happened.
Yes, we lost all of Jeremy's original sound files.
So the version that you are listening to is a cobble (technical term) of the Zoom audio recording, plus selected dropins from Nic's and Leah's emergency recordings. So if you hear the sound "stuttering" a little, forgive us just this once.

Don't be like Jeremy, check while you're recording!

Also in this episode:
Gillyanne's the Queen's Blend tea comes from https://cupoftea.co.uk

The Voiceover Social podcast with Nic Redman and Leah Marks https://www.thevosocial.com/

The voice coach podcast with Nic Redman
https://www.podfollow.com/the-voice-coach-podcast 

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Gillyanne & Jeremy open series 2 (and 2021) with chat about
tea, purpose, happiness and coffins
They share more on their legacy and how to incorporate legacy into your life, why they stopped selling books, Konmari-ing Vocal Process and getting rid of 1900 dead people.
They also reveal plans for more podcasts and their guest wishlist

Also in this episode:
Gillyanne's the Queen's Blend tea comes from https://cupoftea.co.uk

The Voiceover Social podcast with Nic Redman and Leah Marks https://www.thevosocial.com/

The Doctor’s Kitchen with Dr Rupy Aujla (inc 2 episodes with Dr Ayan Panja) https://thedoctorskitchen.com/

BLA British Laryngological Association https://www.britishlaryngological.org/

A Clear Voice podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1459708 

PERFORM study available on the AOTOS website https://aotos.org.uk/

The Speakeasy Cooperative with Michelle Markwart Deveaux 
https://www.faithculturekiss.com/speakeasy/

Free larynx template link https://vocalprocess.co.uk/build-your-own-tilting-larynx/ in the section called Free Stuff 

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We had so much material on SOVT techniques, straws and AMAs that we had to split it in 2! Here is part 2 of Oren Boder's return visit. All 3 of us answer questions on:

• Athletic vocal exercises - what does that mean?
• The difference between athletic, therapeutic and agility SOVT work
• A/C versus D/C backpressure and what it means for your vocal folds
• Lumpy runs and how to avoid them
• When not to use straws
• Why you might want to match your straw to a lower glottal impedance before building resistance
• Oren's take on teachers who claim SOVT isn't as useful for M2 singing
• Why SOVT exercises DON'T force a change in vibration and what they DO change
• Using "Puffy cheeks" and straws
• A top tip from Oren, Jeremy and Gillyanne to take away

You can get Oren's brilliant metal straw (we highly recommend it) from https://www.sovtstraw.com/?ref=VOCALPROCESS - use the code Vocalprocess to get 15% off your shiny new straw

You can learn more about SOVT techniques on Oren's online (hands-off) course here https://www.ob1.co.uk/sovt.html?ref=VOCALPROCESS (10% off with the code VocalProcess)

Or join Oren, Gillyanne and Jeremy for a repeat of the LIVE online SOVT workshop here https://store.vocalprocess.co.uk/sovt-workshop

Watch Jeremy and Gillyanne use the straw when they coach Musical Theatre vocal and performance techniques https://www.ob1.co.uk/mmt.html?ref=VOCALPROCESS

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By popular demand, #SOVT expert Oren Boder, creator of the SOVT Singing Straw, is back!
We had so many more AMAs for Oren following our SOVT Workshop together that we invited him back for SOVT AMAs part 2 (part 1).
In part 1 of this two-part return, Oren, Gillyanne and Jeremy answer questions on:

• what SOVT really is
• the difference between active and passive SOVT
• which way should you move - straw to singing or singing to straw
• the difference between airflow, subglottal pressure and backpressure
• specific exercises for moving from straw work to sung phrases
• differences for the singer between steel and silicone straws
• should you hear the airstream down the straw or not
• which end of the SOVT Singing Straw you should blow down and why
• why feeling resistance in the abdominal wall during SOVT exercises is a byproduct and not a focus

You can get Oren's brilliant metal straw (we highly recommend it) from https://www.sovtstraw.com/?ref=VOCALPROCESS - use the code Vocalprocess to get 15% off your shiny new straw

You can learn more about SOVT techniques on Oren's online (hands-off) course here https://www.ob1.co.uk/sovt.html?ref=VOCALPROCESS (10% off with the code VocalProcess)

Or join Oren, Gillyanne and Jeremy for a repeat of the LIVE online SOVT workshop here https://store.vocalprocess.co.uk/sovt-workshop

Watch Jeremy and Gillyanne use the straw when they coach Musical Theatre vocal and performance techniques https://www.ob1.co.uk/mmt.html?ref=VOCALPROCESS

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Dr Gillyanne Kayes & Jeremy Fisher chat with another of their own #LockdownHeroes, James Sills. James is a passionate choral leader, the founder of The Sofa Singers, and the author of Do Sing.
James shares how Sofa Singers ran from a quirky idea to international recognition (almost overnight), why singing together is vital for our wellbeing, and how his background shaped his view of music as an everyday essential.


Do Sing is available in paperback, ebook and audiobook formats from the DoBook Company https://thedobook.co/products/do-sing-reclaim-your-voice-find-your-singing-tribe
or Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Do-Sing-Reclaim-Voice-Singing/dp/1907974709

You can get more information on James's choirs here:
The Sofa Singers https://www.thesofasingers.com/
All James's choirs including the Bebington Bitter Men can be found here https://www.jamessillsmusic.co.uk/regular-choirs-singing-sessions/
And you can find out more about forest bathing here https://www.forestbathewales.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/jsillsmusic
https://www.facebook.com/jsillsmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/jsillsmusic/


This episode is sponsored by the Amazon #1 bestseller This Is A Voice: 99 exercises to train, project and harness the power of your voice.
Offering step-by-step vocal exercises for speaking voice, singing voice (classical and contemporary), mimicry, ventriloquism and beatboxing, we can safely say there is no other vocal technique book like it.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Voice-exercises-project-harness/dp/1999809025/