How to Start Your Voice Journey With Confidence in 2024 [Building Blocks of Vocal Feminization Part 1/5]

Happy New Year! 

New Year’s Day is a great moment to reflect on the year: what went well, what didn’t, what you’d like to do differently. 

If your voice is something that you’d like to change, it can sometimes feel like a big hurdle. You might want to commit to it as a goal, but not know how to get there. 

So if voice feminization is a resolution of yours this year, I’ve got you covered! This is the first in my 5 part series where I’ll break down the basics to get you started!

Getting Ready Emotionally

Any type of voice training can be very emotional. The voice is an extension of ourselves. If you don’t feel aligned or good in your voice, you might feel like you’re not aligned with yourself. 

So try the following things to get ready! 

1. Journaling

Journaling is a great way to get in tune with your emotions or to release some that are pent up and you didn’t even know it. 

The book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is a workbook to help creative people get their creative juices flowing. A major part of the program is to journal 3 pages each morning. She calls these “Artist Pages”. 

So each morning, you get up and write 3 pages in your notebook. This is meant to be “stream of consciousness” writing. This can help you let go of the stuff you’re worried about or things that aren’t serving you. Just write anything for 3 pages! Then you’re done when you've finished that third page. 

When I do mine, I often feel lighter afterwards, ready to take on the day. If the mornings don't work for you, write them any time - they're still worthwhile.

Writing these pages can help to free you from some of the thoughts that weigh you down. Give it a try and see how it feels! 

2. Figure out your “why”

As you go through this process, it might feel like a bit of a slog. Sure, you’d love to just snap your fingers and have your ideal voice, but it doesn’t work like that. It will take time to get there. 

So before you jump in, take a moment to reflect on what finding your new voice would really mean to you. Get clear on how it will make you feel live authentically in your voice. 

Vocal feminization might not feel linear. You’ll have days where you feel great, and days where you feel like you’ve taken some steps back. 

If you’re having a frustrating day or aren’t sure you’re making progress, you can always go back to that “north star”. It gives you direction. 

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to get clear: 

• How do I feel about my voice today? 

• What would an authentic voice feel like? 

• How do I feel about making a commitment to myself to work on my voice? 

• What would it feel like to not work on my voice?

• Who am I voice training for? 

3. Write Affirmations

Writing affirmations is another great way to prepare yourself for this change. When we write or say affirmations, we are rewriting the stories that we tell ourselves about who we are. 

It’s easy to get stuck in a loop of negativity around the things that don’t make you feel like yourself. 

First, you can write 5-10 negative beliefs that you have about your voice. 

They might look something like this:

• I can’t really change my voice.

• I’ll never feel comfortable with my voice.

• My voice feels heavy and boomy. 

• All I can do is a “fake” feminine sound. 

• Everything I try is a failure. 

Then, take those negative beliefs and flip them around, making them positive. They might look something like this: 

• I can’t really change my voice. → I am capable and ready for deep change. 

• I’ll never feel comfortable with my voice.→ I am comfortable and confident in my voice. 

• My voice feels heavy and boomy. → My voice feels light and floaty. 

• All I can do is a “fake” feminine sound. → My voice flows from me naturally. 

• Everything I try is a failure. → When I try something new, it is a success. 

Write these same affirmations in a journal each morning or say them aloud. See what works for you! 

By doing this exercise, you’re rewiring your brain. You can shift away from believing your negative thoughts about yourself define you. Spoiler alert - they don't!

Affirmations will empower you to know that you can use your authentic voice. You are capable of change. You are beautiful and strong!

Care for Your Voice

1. Hydrate

Staying properly hydrated is an important component of voice work. When you are not hydrated enough, your vocal folds become covered in a sticky mucus. That mucus makes it harder for them to start vibrating. 

Make sure you’re drinking at least 64 ounces of water each day to make it easy to use your voice! 

2. Vocal Warmups

Vocal warmups might not be glamorous, or seem like they make a massive impact in the moment, but they are so important for the health of your voice. 

SOVT exercises are wonderful for getting your voice gently warmed up and relaxed. 

Try this straw warm up to get you ready for practice! 

Make Practicing a Habit

With vocal feminization, it’s all about creating practice habits. You can take as many lessons as you like, but if you’re not practicing in between, it will be hard to make progress. 

So that’s why I created the 2-Minute Challenge! 

The 2-Minute Vocal Feminization New Year Challenge (yes, that’s a mouthful) starts right now, January 1, 2024!  

This challenge is all about starting the year off right by taking steps that will ensure progress over the course of the year. We’re starting off small - practicing for just 2 minutes per day. You can do that! 

By only practicing 2 minutes per day, you’re more likely to stick to it. And the more you can stick to it and make practicing a habit, the more progress you’ll make! 

The concept is based on the "Two Minute Rule” described in James Clear’s Atomic Habits. 

I'll be putting out a one minute video every day in the month of January, which you can watch on both TikTok or YouTube Shorts. You’ll learn a tip on vocal feminization every day. Follow along on whatever platform works for you! You’ll also warm up for 1 minute per day. 

Join a community of people with similar goals and track your progress! 

Download my 2-Minute New Year Vocal Feminization Challenge PDF below! 

So grab your Free 2-Minute Challenge PDF and a notebook and get to work!

This week’s homework:

• 64 ounces of water per day

• Straw warm up 1 min per day

• Watch 1 min video per day

• Artist Pages Journaling each day

• Answer reflection questions

• Create affirmations, write them out or say them aloud each day