Own Your Authentic Voice

Happy March! Time to celebrate women! Time to own your authemtic voice!

Feb-Mo-ary was a blast! If you didn’t get a chance to learn about Feb-Mo-ary, you can read more here.

March is upon us and it’s all about women – our stories and our voices. I could not think of a better way to celebrate International Women’s Day than by releasing a new podcast episode with the amazing Tomi Makajuola who runs Vegan Nigerian. Take a listen and let me know what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Owning your authentic voice is one of the most powerful things you can ever do. And I think for many women finding and owning their voice, the journey is often filled with challenges and self-discovery.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of women owning their voices and sharing their stories. Our voices are truly powerful, but so often we play small, silent, and hide.

While celebrating Women’s History Month is an opportunity to highlight women in a variety of ways, it’s also a further reminder for us to embrace our voices.

In my work as a Speaking Coach, I have met many women who want to be able to use their voice to show up in life and business, but often feel lost in knowing and tapping into their own voice.

Why do so many women have such a hard time finding and owning the power of their voice?

The Power is Within You

From the time a little girl has made her way into the world, she is filled with messages that dictate who she should be and how she should use her voice. These messages often coming from society, family, culture and now, social media, end up being ingrained in a little girl’s mind. Shaping how she sees herself and uses her voice.

Messages such as speak only when spoken to, you should be seen but not heard, you’re too loud, you’re too quiet, you speak too much, or you don’t speak enough. Messages that strip away her voice one word at a time.

As this little girl grows up, she loses her authenticity and her voice. And as this little girl becomes a woman, these messages become further ingrained in her soul, often doubting who she is, what she says, and how she shows up.

What this woman does not realize is that her authentic voice is about tapping within and has always been available for her. The world led her astray and she drifted away from all she knew within.

If she only knew she had the power to reclaim her voice…

If she only knew she had the power to embrace her voice…

If she only knew the power was always within her…

Just like Glinda, the Good Witch, tells Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz : You’ve always had the power my dear; you just had to learn it yourself. Know that you have every power within to own your voice. It is all within you.

And you start by learning and believing. And you learn by doing and showing up. One step at a time. Mistakes and stumbles. Successes and failures.

You’ll never know how great you can be until you claim the power of your voice.

Four Tips To Tap Into Your Authentic Voice

Using your authentic voice is about…YOU!

Many times you may think you don’t have an authentic voice or that you have to sound like someone else. You can learn to find and own your authentic voice.

Here are four tips to tapping into your authentic voice:

First, take time to breathe and be still. Your authentic voice is within you. You don’t have to search for it or ask someone to give it to you. Just breathe. Be still. Connect with yourself.

Second, embrace where your voice is now. Using your authentic voice is a journey. No need to judge or compare your voice. This is your voice at this moment and you can work on learning how to use your voice.

Do a voice assessment. How often are you using your voice to speak or go live on social media? Are you playing small or hiding? Are you showing up for your audience? Take an honest look at how often you are showing up and using your voice. If you are always hiding, you are not being seen and heard. That means your audience is not hearing from you. Take a deep look at how often you are using voice and see what steps you need to take so your audience can hear from you.

Practice using your voice. You can learn to use your authentic voice. Experiment with your voice. For instance, record your voice using the voice notes app and play it back so you get comfortable listening to your voice. Express yourself by getting creative and playing around with your voice by making silly sounds. Speak high. Speak low. And let the mirror be your audience. It’s a great way to tap into your unique authentic voice.

Finding your authentic voice is within you. Embrace your voice where it is now. No judgment needed. Trust your voice is there to serve you well.

In Love and Courage,