Episodes

  • 13231: One Simple Way To Ease Anxiety
    May 13 2025

    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 effective? Other ways you know of to ease the unease? Let me know in the comments below.

    REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/one-simple-way-to-ease-anxiety/

    #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing

    Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you...

    ...become a VO talent (or a more successful one):
    https://voheroes.com/start

    ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent):
    https://acxmasterclass.com/

    ...narrate your own book (if you’re an author):
    https://narrateyourownbook.com/

    ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent):
    https://mikesock.com/

    ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines):
    https://rehearsal.pro/

    ...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac:
    https://audiocupcake.com/


    The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with:

    BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout



    ...
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    7 mins
  • 13230: The Moving Target Of AI
    May 6 2025

    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 likely old news…but how to handle it as an actor, VO talent or writer is not.)

    Thoughts on AI? Questions on synthetic performance? Let me know in the comments below.

    REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/the-moving-target-of-ai/

    #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing

    Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you...

    ...become a VO talent (or a more successful one):
    https://voheroes.com/start

    ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent):
    https://acxmasterclass.com/

    ...narrate your own book (if you’re an author):
    https://narrateyourownbook.com/

    ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent):
    https://mikesock.com/

    ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines):
    https://rehearsal.pro/

    ...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac:
    https://audiocupcake.com/


    The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with:

    BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout



    ...
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins
  • 13229: True Or False: Non-Fiction Is Easier To Narrate Than Fiction?
    Apr 29 2025

    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 intimidating, and accents and dialects don’t have to be debilitating.

    I have a go-to simple approach, one that narrators of any level can put to use, to make characters and accents and dialects easier. And maybe even fun!

    And I’ll also remind you in this episode of the deeper fun you can encounter with non-fiction as well.

    Do you shy away from fiction? How come? Let me know in the comments below.

    REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/true-or-false-non-fiction-is-easier-to-narrate-than-fiction/


    #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing

    Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you...

    ...become a VO talent (or a more successful one):
    https://voheroes.com/start

    ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent):
    https://acxmasterclass.com/

    ...narrate your own book (if you’re an author):
    https://narrateyourownbook.com/

    ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent):
    https://mikesock.com/

    ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines):
    https://rehearsal.pro/

    ...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac:
    https://audiocupcake.com/


    The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with:

    BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout



    ...
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins
  • 13228: Is It Easier To Book An Audiobook Job Than Other Acting Gigs?
    Apr 22 2025

    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 numbers are, even in audiobooks, nuanced by your engagement and your acting ability and your mad skills in showing that off.

    If where you engage your acting skills are at least the same level of engagement you place your technical skills, you’re going to move the needle in your favor.

    It’s a reminder and a significant difference.

    Do you keep in mind to focus on the acting part as well as the tech and the project management? Does that move the numbers for you? Let me know in the comments below.

    REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/is-it-easier-to-book-an-audiobook-job-than-other-acting-gigs/

    #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing

    Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you...

    ...become a VO talent (or a more successful one):
    https://voheroes.com/start

    ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent):
    https://acxmasterclass.com/

    ...narrate your own book (if you’re an author):
    https://narrateyourownbook.com/

    ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent):
    https://mikesock.com/

    ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines):
    https://rehearsal.pro/

    ...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac:
    https://audiocupcake.com/


    The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with:

    BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout



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    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
  • 13227: I Feel Seen And Heard…By James Clear
    Apr 15 2025

    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 know, my song of success (or at least the definition of success I’ve been singing for decades).

    I can’t tell you how joyful I am that he agrees with me.

    And I ask a simple question toward the end of the episode that I’d love for you to answer below in the comments (on VOHeroes.com/podcast - go there if you’re reading these show notes on YouTube or on your podcast listening app).

    Does my definition of success help you? Frustrate you? Confuse you? Comfort you and support you? Let me know in the comments below.

    REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/i-feel-seen-and-heard-by-james-clear/

    #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing

    Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you...

    ...become a VO talent (or a more successful one):
    https://voheroes.com/start

    ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent):
    https://acxmasterclass.com/

    ...narrate your own book (if you’re an author):
    https://narrateyourownbook.com/

    ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent):
    https://mikesock.com/

    ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines):
    https://rehearsal.pro/

    ...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac:
    https://audiocupcake.com/


    The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with:

    BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout



    ...
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins
  • 13226: Narrating Audiobooks? Don't Forget The Acting Part
    Apr 8 2025

    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.

    Creating characters in audiobooks (and that includes the neutral narrator) means giving them the same due as you will with the characters you get to create on camera or on stage or in commercials.

    You hear it in the work of the narrators (actors) we all revere.

    Have you found yourself worrying more about being technically perfect rather than an awesome actor when doing audiobooks? Let me know in the comments below.

    REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/narrating-audiobooks-dont-forget-the-acting-part/

    #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing

    Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you...

    ...become a VO talent (or a more successful one):
    https://voheroes.com/start

    ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent):
    https://acxmasterclass.com/

    ...narrate your own book (if you’re an author):
    https://narrateyourownbook.com/

    ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent):
    https://mikesock.com/

    ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines):
    https://rehearsal.pro/

    ...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac:
    https://audiocupcake.com/


    The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with:

    BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout



    ...
    Show More Show Less
    8 mins
  • 13225: Remember This One Thing About Aiming For Perfection
    Apr 1 2025

    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 you’re a work in progress and that you’re of a mind to be better, but can’t control perfection? Let me know in the comments below.

    REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/remember-this-one-thing-about-aiming-for-perfection/

    #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing

    Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you...

    ...become a VO talent (or a more successful one):
    https://voheroes.com/start

    ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent):
    https://acxmasterclass.com/

    ...narrate your own book (if you’re an author):
    https://narrateyourownbook.com/

    ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent):
    https://mikesock.com/

    ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines):
    https://rehearsal.pro/

    ...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac:
    https://audiocupcake.com/


    The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with:

    BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout



    ...
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
  • 13224: You Are Absolutely Capable Of The Life You Imagine
    Mar 25 2025

    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 have the capacity and ability to pursue it.

    You do.

    Are there any guarantees that you will get it? No. But that doesn’t mean you’re not capable.

    Do you start the day with this as a given? What do you think you need other than the capability of being a performer? Let me know in the comments below.

    REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/you-are-absolutely-capable-of-the-life-you-imagine/

    #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing

    Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you...

    ...become a VO talent (or a more successful one):
    https://voheroes.com/start

    ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent):
    https://acxmasterclass.com/

    ...narrate your own book (if you’re an author):
    https://narrateyourownbook.com/

    ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent):
    https://mikesock.com/

    ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines):
    https://rehearsal.pro/

    ...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac:
    https://audiocupcake.com/


    The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with:

    BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout



    ...
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins