Voicing my Values for a Change
When you hear a commercial, do you think to yourself “that person talking about wireless phone plans is making the world a better place”? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
I’ve struggled with trying to see my chosen profession as helpful to humanity. Because, you see, I am that voice. Well, maybe not that one, but rather the voice on social media telling you about a new vitamin supplement that will help your memory (will it, though?), the voice on the radio urging you to purchase your next preowned vehicle at a specific car dealership, and the voice on TV announcing a furniture store sale.
I’m a voice actor. I use my voice to convey messages. Messages I don’t always agree with. Messages I sometimes question the ethics of. Messages that influence people and direct their behavior.
In my first year of voice acting, I didn’t think much about the effect of the messages I brought to life with my voice. I needed the money. I needed my business to take off. So I did clickbait ads that made people feel bad about their intimate parts, and I prerecorded telemarketing voicemails for sketchy companies. I made people believe things I knew in my heart couldn’t be true.
My voice is literally the sound that issues forth from my vocal cords, modulated by my larynx and supported by my diaphragm and breath. My head is a resonant chamber and my body allows the sound to flow freely or tensely. My mind and heart create the tone and feeling. My body is my vocal instrument. When I play my instrument, people are moved. It’s a powerful feeling to influence people’s emotions and behaviors. It shouldn’t be used lightly.
As I’ve become more skilled and experienced as a voice actor, I’ve been thinking hard about making the world a better place. I have regrets about misleading messages I’ve voiced (cryptocurrency, anyone?), or toxic ideas about beauty and sexuality that I’ve conveyed because that’s what the script said. I want people to relate to my voice, not because it’s telling them something that’s wrong with them, but because it’s helping people feel seen and appreciated for who they are and for what they bring to the table.
In 2024, I’ve been working to connect with people and organizations with messages I believe in that need telling. This includes recording e-Learning modules for social work students about the importance of asking clients’ sexual and gender identities and recording a radio PSA for a station in North Dakota about the importance of wearing seatbelts to reduce fatal car accidents among Native Americans.
Making the world a better place involves alignment for me — aligning my interests, knowledge, and values with meaningful messaging. One of my primary interests is neurodiversity, especially the lived experience of people with ADHD and autism. In fact, I recently published a book about adult ADHD. I am finding ways to align my written and spoken voices to educate others about the challenges and assets of ADHD brains.
I will be talking about ADHD and mental health at a Rotary club luncheon this month, and I might even run a workshop at their international conference. I’m also voicing a series of short, animated lessons for an ADHD nonprofit organization on recognizing ADHD in girls.
As a former educator, using my vocal skills to continue educating people so they can better understand themselves and those around them feels right to me. Showing people that they aren’t alone in their struggles, teaching people how to be inclusive and appreciate different perspectives, and motivating people towards healthy habits aligns with my values.
This is my third year of being a voice actor, and what I’m really working on this year is bringing my most authentic self to my reads. My voice acting is an accumulation of all of my experiences. I find the story in the script and bring my own story to bear upon it. And then my story becomes your story, because we are all connected. And when our stories are told, we no longer feel invisible or alone.
I am making the world a better place because I’m telling stories that are important to people’s sense of well-being and community. I am no longer willing to tell stories of inadequacy and fear. Voice acting has taught me just how much we are all in this together. If you just so happen to catch one of my voice overs, I hope you can hear in my tone that I see you and that I’ve got your back.
This story was written for the publication “Wake. Write. Win.” As part of their writing contest that asks “How are you making this world a better place?” Find the contest here: https://medium.com/wake-write-win/join-my-300-writing-contest-on-medium-until-april-30-d80aeac2a8b8
