The VOHeroes Podcast
by David H. Lawrence XVII
Voice over is a heroes' journey. Make it your journey. Actor, voice talent and storytelling coach David H. Lawrence XVII takes you on a journey each episode into the art, commerce, science and mindset of voice over as a performing art, and as a profession and business. Presented by VOHeroes.com.
Episodes
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13309: The Biggest Of The Three Big Fears
Hey there, hero! The audacity you have. The sheer gall to start something new, something you’ve never done before. How dare you?! And, of course, there is always some hesitancy…some trepidation…some fear. What’s the biggest one? And what do you do about it? (It’s one that a lot of people find...
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13308: Logic vs. Magic
Hey there, hero! No, I’m not talking about a famous court case with the title of this episode. It’s inspired by an audiobook I’m loving called Alchemy, read by the author, Ogilvy’s Rory Sutherland: https://amzn.to/3YVZlUO He’s done a terrific job of putting words to a concept that I’ve felt ever...
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13307: Doing Your Very Best, Automatically.
Hey there, hero! As we approach a task, a project, executing a process…we often worry that we somehow won’t do our best. I’m here to tell you that you never have to worry about this again. It’s a bit of a different way of looking at things, but it just might take your confidence to a new level…
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13306: Initium Est Dimidium Facti
Hey there, hero! So there’s some new idea or class or skill you’re facing. You’re juuuuust at the precipice of getting underway. How valuable is the simple act of starting that, and not putting it off until later (or not following through at all)? As the Roman poet Horace said in Epistles…
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13305: In Praise Of A Little Slack In Your Schedule
Hey there, hero! I talk about bias for action all the time, and it's not always about being ultimately efficient, it's often about building in slack in case disaster strikes. I recently read an article on Big Think by Eric Markowitz on this idea, and he said something that just spoke to me: "We...
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13304: The Automatic Choice From Your Personal Menu
Hey there, hero! One of the concepts I learned when I trained in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) has stuck with me like paint, and has really helped me be at peace with my level of accomplishment. And maybe it will help you. It’s a bit of a chain reaction, but it can ease the anxiety of…
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13303: The Best Solution For Reducing Mouth Noise
Hey there, hero! One of the most frequently asked questions about the physical nature of voice and on-camera performance is what to do about mouth noises. And when people offer potential solutions, I will reply “Fantastic! So glad that’s working for you.” With a biiiiiiiggggg caveat… …what works...
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13302: How To Produce Audiobooks For Rights Holders Globally (Not Just Where ACX Operates)
Hey there, hero! ACX is a great way to connect with a client to produce their audiobook, but only if both of you are tax paying residents of one of four countries: the US, the UK, Canada or Ireland. If you both live in one of those, you’re golden. If not, you’re stuck. And it’s been an ongoing...
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13301: Daring To Move From The Dreaming To The Doing
Hey there, hero! There’s a lot of dreaming going on in our community. We simply have to be dreamers to decide to be creative artists. And we also have to be doers. And that moment when you decide you can’t ignore your dreams any longer and have to put in the work to achieve them…can stop us dead…
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13300: Only Use These Two Words When Receiving Feedback
Hey there, hero! I’ve noticed that some people have forgotten, or have never learned, the most useful words you can use when you are getting feedback from those who might give you work. Without judging the quality of the feedback, without deciding whether to use their feedback or not, just say...
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13299: Some People Would Do Anything To Have Your Problems
Hey there, hero! As we work toward a better performance career and face challenges to our progress, even the littlest things can make us feel frustrated. And it’s important to remember that, as challenges go, these speed bumps in our journey need to be kept in perspective. There are people…
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13298: PSAs vs Commercials And The Power Of Art
Hey there, hero! Public Service Announcements. PSAs. One of my favorite voice over art forms. They come along all too rarely, and when they do, I cherish them. I had a wonderful opportunity recently to coach a voice talent on a PSA, and we spent some of the time during the session talking about...
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13297: It’s Hardly Ever Just One Thing That Makes The Difference
Hey there, hero! If you could talk to your career crush, the one person that you’d trade places with in their artistic journey, would you ask them what the one thing is that made the difference for them? I’d like to propose that there is a better question to ask, and a better answer to hear,...
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13296: So...About Those Contradictory Rules.
Hey there, hero! “Look before you leap.” (Get some basic info before you head into the unknown.) …versus… “He who hesitates is lost.” (Be bold, and go for it. Damn the potential pitfalls.) So, which is the rule to follow? The answer is, like in most messy, life-y things, “it depends.” There are...
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13295: The Dream Is Seductive. The Pursuit Is Productive.
Hey there, hero! If you find yourself looking at how those you know (or you) are really good at coming up with dreams in life, goals to be fulfilled and destinations they (or you) would like to arrive at in life… …but they (or you) never quite get to some, or many, or most, or almost all of them…...
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13294: Consider A Win Audit Instead
Hey there, hero! Not everything we undertake is a complete success. But we also rarely walk away with a complete and utter failure, with no takeaways whatsoever. If you attempt something, try to learn something, stretch outside your comfort zone and find that not everything worked out...
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13293: On Arguing For Your Limitations
Hey there, hero! Richard Bach once said, "Argue for your limitations and, sure enough, they're yours." Wow…does that resonate with me. And I hear examples all the time…from my students, my colleagues and my peers. People can convince themselves of almost anything, and they often do. I hope you...
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13292: Kostroff Asks: Are You In An Abusive Relationship With Your Career?
Hey there, hero! My buddy Michael Kostroff asks some pretty thought-provoking questions. His course, auditionpsych101, is filled with such questions, and even some controversial but very useful answers… …even if you’re not an actor. And the title of this podcast episode is one of them. You may...
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13291: Is It As Hard As It Looks? Or As Easy As It Looks?
Hey there, hero! When the audience looks at the end result of what we create, there are some interesting impressions they might walk away with. They might think that it’s an incredibly difficult undertaking with a huge amount of effort - like with a 10 or 20 hour audiobook that’s never recorded…
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13290: I Ain't Here For A Long Time, I'm Here For A Good Time
Hey there, hero! This George Strait song title was shared with me for the first time in my life by a fellow VO talent at a mixer last night. Thanks, Nadia Ahern. Mind blown. In a quiet, satisfying way. And a great reminder of what an awesome choice we’ve all made. Do you sometimes need to remind...
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13289: What Fairy Tales Are You Telling Yourself?
Hey there, hero! I was just on a call with a potential VO client, and the conversation got around to limiting beliefs in general, and in particular, those excuses we come up with so we don’t have to try. This is nothing new. People have been afraid of failure since humans became humans. We look…
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13288: Is Listening To An Audiobook Less Than Reading A Book?
Hey there, hero! Just want to get your opinion on this apparently very controversial issue. I have my own thoughts, but I want to know yours. Let’s discuss. Scroll down and fire away. Is listening to an audiobook “cheating?” Is there something wrong with only listening to (or only being willing…
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13287: How Stressful Is Audiobook Narration Really?
Hey there, hero! I know that some VO talent and actors (and even my author peeps who want to narrate their own books) shy away from the prospect, mostly because it looks like a gargantuan undertaking. You might be one of them, imagining a lot of planning, a lot of work…and a lot of stress. I…
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13286: Whatever Works, Yes?
Hey there, hero! I created this podcast episode moments after jumping off being a guest on Chris Barry’s podcast, Coaching Uncovered. (You can find my episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOpiI02rjNI ) He asked a very common question: how do you build your business? It’s something my...
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13285: Two. Not Three.
Hey there, hero! Simon Sinek recently reminded me of a story I’d heard for years: two, not three. Ben Prober, a successful shoe salesman, found that fewer choices made the decision about which shoes to buy easier. In the 1950s, he limited customers to two pairs of shoes at a time, taking away a...
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13284: Q&A: Should You Actually Say The N-Word When Narrating?
Hey there, hero! The question comes up often, and it shows up in various forms. This time, a client wrote this: “David…I cannot believe that in today’s cultural environment, that there are authors who expect me to say the n-word. I can’t understand why they’d even write it! How do I make it clear...
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13283: The One Question You Can Ask That Just Might Make Someone Love You
Hey there, hero! Everybody loves baseball. And the language of baseball is part of cultures around the world. And over the course of time, I’ve settled on one question when I’m trying to serve a client, a peer, an affiliate, a family member or just a friend who needs my support. More often than...
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13282: Do Not Fear Rejection. Instead, Fear Regret.
Hey there, hero! The title of this podcast episode comes from the words of author Michelle Rozen (not Rozer, as I misspoke at the beginning of the podcast), who wrote The 6%, a book on high achievers. And when I heard it, it struck me that we kinda face this dilemma all. the. time. We can worry...
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13281: Remove Distractions So Your Audience Sees Only You
Hey there, hero! Wow. That’s dark. A BTS look at my updated audition background, and why I chose to simplify my look. (I’ll likely be back to the bricks next episode.) But why the severe change? Because I look for any distraction from my acting and try my best to remove it. And I do it so that…
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13280: Channel Your Inner “Superstar Server”
Hey there, hero! The perfect server not only gives you great service… …they are actually nowhere to be found when they aren’t needed. Ever notice that? It’s an art and skill to know when you’re needed and when you’re not - and that applies to us when we’re auditioning and pursuing the work. I…
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13279: What’s Your Marketing Mashup?
Hey there, hero! A marketing mashup…what the heck is that? It’s what I call those quick little phrases that give someone a clear idea of your creative essence: who you are, how you sound, what kind of characters you play…that sort of thing. What’s my marketing mashup? “Paul Giamatti meets Uncle...
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13278: Open Loops Are Everywhere
Hey there, hero! The concept of open loops has come up so much in the last few weeks for me that I wanted to revisit an episode from 2019 that explained open loops and how powerful they can be for you. Writers use open loops to create cliffhangers. VO talent can use open loops in their profiles…
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13277: Casey Brown Says “Know Your Worth. Ask For It.”
Hey there, hero! In another episode, I threaten you with harsh words if I ever catch you minimizing yourself. And it’s not just in how you describe yourself, it’s specifically about how you set your fees. And, of course, there’s a TED talk on this: Casey Brown gave that talk over a decade ago…
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13276: If I Ever Catch You Saying This, We Will Have Words
Hey there, hero! I was at a party a couple of years ago, and someone in our group was asked, “What do you do?” In Los Angeles, it’s rare that the answer to that question isn’t “I’m an actor.” In this case, the woman answered with a bit of a twist: “I'm a bit of an actor." Please don’t let me…
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13275: The Swedish Concept Of Lagom Might Be Just Right For You
Hey there, hero! Lagom is not “just OK.” It’s not “good enough for government work.” It’s actually a cultural concept in Sweden that is really useful in lots of different ways. In a nutshell, it means “not too much, not too little, but just right.” Kinda like Goldilocks and her interaction with...
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13274: But Sometimes Winners DO Quit
Hey there, hero! You’ve likely heard many times in life the pithy quote, “Winners never quit!” (And sometimes, the additional converse of “Quitters never win!”) Yeah. You can safely ignore that. This episode is all about the truth: winners do sometimes quit. Let’s discuss a bit deeper when and…
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13273: Left-brained? Right-brained? Relax. You’re Likely Both.
Hey there, hero! If you’re at all like me, I’ve often wondered if I’m the odd man out. A left-brained person in a right-brained body. See, I’m a creative…but I’m also proudly analytical and organized. I hear you. “Freak!” Yep. And guess what? Turns out you are too. My evidence? Two different...
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13272: How Do You Feel When A Friend Gets The Gig?
Hey there, hero! What is your reaction when you see someone you know on TV? When a colleague pops up on the screen in a movie? When you hear that familiar voice in a spot? When you see the byline, and it’s not you, but someone…just…like…you? And further, what kind of feelz well up when it’s for...
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13271: Should You Run Your Creative Career Through A Company Or As An Individual?
Hey there, hero! Actors, voice talent and writers often face the question of whether they should run their creative practice as an individual, being paid as an employee, or as a company, paid via invoicing on a more formal basis. And the answer is… …it depends. In this episode, I take a look at…
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13270: Why You Might Be Insulted By My Coaching
Hey there, hero! I ran across a quote by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz that called out a huge difference in how feedback/criticism/adjustments land with kids…as opposed to how that can land with adults. And it comes down to what he called “...the willingness to suffer an injury to one's self-esteem.”...
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13269: Maya Angelou Dropped A Powerful #1 Takeaway
Hey there, hero! Short and sweet: six words that might make your day a bit more impactful, and give you a bit more moxie and courage to do what we do as professional performers. (I ask my students at the end of each of our live workouts if they had anything resonate for them during the session…
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13268: That Job You Didn't Get Still Has Immense Value
Hey there, hero! So… …you didn't get the gig. They went with someone else. You're disappointed, and that's understandable. But what are you missing from the experience? It can be a lot of valuable information and factual results. I share some of the gifts we get when we don't get the job. Were…
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13267: You Can't Edit A Blank Page
Hey there, hero! As you sit there at the moment of creation... With a blank page... Nothing yet recorded for an audition... A blinking cursor... Not even a countdown to begin recording, or an unclicked record button, not even a cleared throat... ...how do you handle that moment? Are you frozen?…
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13266: My Guaranteed 100% Accurate Predictions For The Rest Of The Year
Hey there, hero! The pundits are out with their predictions for this year. I have my predictions as well, and I guarantee you that mine are right and theirs are wrong. And there's joy in what I'm predicting. I think you'll be surprised. And what are your predictions for the new year? What are you...
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13265: Talking To Yourself: Crazy? Or Crazy Smart?
Hey there, hero! If you find yourself talking to yourself when you're by yourself... ...that's not only OK, it's a mark of genius. That's what the Internet says, and I'm going with them on this. I don't want you to feel anything but joy and wisdom if you're an inveterate self-talker. And I'm not...
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13264: Instead Of Looking Back (Or Ahead), Do This Instead
Hey there, hero! This is the final episode of the podcast for the year. And as I recorded this episode, I was wading through my inbox, which is currently filling up with listicles of The Best XXXXXX Of The Year, or Our Predictions For The Best XXXXXX Of The Upcoming Year. I tend to look at those...
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13263: What’s More Valuable: Being Smart Or Being Reliable?
Hey there, hero! There’s a lot of value in having workable expertise, value in having expertise that’s exceptional, and it’s something I think most of us strive to acquire. There’s also a lot of value in being dependable, being reliable, being a rock to others in your life…to show up, hit your…
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13262: Be Like Miss Johnson: Write Your Own Textbook
Hey there, hero! Space mathematician Katherine Johnson said, about the new strategies, tactics and calculation being created for the moon landing, “There were no textbooks, so we had to write one.” Ever faced something brand new in your acting, voice work or writing? It’s not like working in a...
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13261: Have You Limited Your Circle Of Competence?
Hey there, hero! You’ve met people in our business who’ve been trained to say yes to everything. When asked what they are best at, they never say never. They say yes to anything. They can play any role, voice any character, write in any genre…each with world class capabilities. Yeah. Don’t be…
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13260: We Face Daunting Numbers
Hey there, hero! The people who aren’t in our line of work simply don't understand the kinds of numbers we face every day. Actors, voice talent, casting, directors/producers...there are a lot of people who want to do what we do. And if those people knew the actual stats, most would likely rethink...
About this show
Voice over is a heroes' journey. Make it your journey. Actor, voice talent and storytelling coach David H. Lawrence XVII takes you on a journey each episode into the art, commerce, science and mindset of voice over as a performing art, and as a profession and business. Presented by VOHeroes.com.
Hosted by
David H. Lawrence XVII
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