This is the first special edition roundtable episode. These episodes provide an in depth look at an interesting topic. They feature guests who are experts in the specific area, who share their experience and then discuss the connection between that area and leadership
Today’s topic is the connection between voice, creativity and leadership.
Allison Bennie, Jenee Halstead and Ruby Rose Fox have one thing in common. Each one of them started their career as a singer and performer. And each one of them found an interesting way to expand beyond voice to use their experience to help people in different areas of their life.
We start from their stories, what attracted each one of them to sing and how they went on the journey to be an artist. It is a pretty raw and candid discussion. Along with the passion and the joys, they cover some of the less known and less glamorous realities of life as an independent artist and as a woman in show business.
From there, we talk about the moment when they realized that their expertise in voice and performance could actually benefit people who are not artists, and how the three of them has used this platform to expand career into new areas . Spoiler alert: everyone can sing, no matter what they have been told. You will hear about the physiology of voice, and what impact realizing they can sing has on adults who were told their whole life they couldn’t.
Of course, we talk about some of the connections between voice and leadership. And they share some exercises that you can use in your everyday life to improve your overall presence as a leader, in any situation. As usual, we close the episode with some great recommendations for food for the soul.
Enjoy this episode, it is a good one.
Key Takeaways:
04:14 – Dino introduces today’s special roundtable episode, featuring Jenee Halstead, Allison Bennie and Ruby Rose Fox
07:25 – Jenee, Allison and Ruby share the moment they realized they wanted to become performers
11:37 – The less glamorous side of being an independent artist
23:28 – Jenee, Allison and Ruby talk about what led them to pursue more powerful and meaningful initiative through their collective experiences as artists
40:45 – Jenee, Allison and Ruby provide advice for those looking to truly be seen more
54:15 – Jenee, Allison and Ruby share some food for your soul
59:38 – Dino thanks Jenee, Allison and Ruby for all joining the show
1:02:25 – Dino leaves the audience with two songs: ‘Solitary People,’ by Jenee and ‘Matador,’ by Ruby
Tweetable Quotes:
“I’m a musical artist of various kinds and storyteller of various kinds.” (05:09) (Ruby)
“So, here were these white men who were telling me how to get my dream as how I saw it. And I said, ‘Ok, cool. I’ll stop eating.’ So I did and I lost a ton of weight very quickly. I got very ill, very weak, and lost my voice. By the age of twenty-four my voice was gone and my singing career was over.” (13:50) (Allison)
“I didn’t know why, but my heart was calling me somewhere else. And, I think I could have stayed in theatre if I had wanted to but there was so much negativity there. And I knew that I could produce my own shows, put my name on the marquee so they know a woman is coming through the door. And it just empowered me in a way that made me feel like an entrepreneur.” (18:16) (Ruby)
“Since that time, it’s just been really a process of facing my own insecurities and my own fears around being seen.” (22:47) (Jenee)
“Just all these little pieces of saying yes, and saying yes, and saying yes, and realizing that all of this stuff that I had been through and all of this training that I had was still within me.” (26:43) (Allison)
“Everybody can sing. The fact that we’re putting people on a pedestal that only certain people are born to sing and others aren’t was just this terrible narrative that’s false. So, I’m on a path to deconstruct that.” (39:55) (Jenee)
“That’s the place to start is to breathe and to chill out and to relax and to support yourself with that breath.” (42:07) (Allison)
“Switch your focus from thinking that whatever apparatus you use – whether it’s your voice, or a saxophone, or whatever instrument you’re using to perform with – that there’s an instrument prior to that, which is your nervous system. And that instrument is what people are gonna pay you a lot of money to see.” (49:35) (Ruby)
“Nobody comes to me for voice lessons because they want to be a professional singer. I don’t teach professional singers. I have no interest in polishing something to perfection. I only work with people who just want to connect with something.” (52:48) (Allison)
Links Mentioned:
Dino’s Email – dino@al4ep.com
Authentic Leadership for Everyday People Website – https://authenticleadershipforeverydaypeople.com/
Authentic Leadership for Everyday People Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/al4ep/?ref=page_internal
Jenee Halstead’s Website – https://jeneehalstead.com/
Jenee Halstead’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeneehalstead/
Link to Inner Song – https://www.theinnersong.com/
Ruby Rose Fox’s Email – Ruby@rubyrosefox.com
Ruby Rose Fox’s Website – https://www.rubyrosefox.com/
The Unstoppable Performer Website – https://thegiftofstagefright.com/
The Unstoppable Performer YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC98STl6hh87UaMGfqPzwbkQ
Allison Bennie’s Website – https://allisonbennie.com/
Allison Bennie’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/allisonbennie/
Link to The Singing Cure – https://www.amazon.com/SINGING-CURE-Paul-Newham/dp/0877739978
Link to The Transparency of Things – https://www.amazon.com/Transparency-Things-Contemplating-Nature-Experience/dp/1626258805
Link to Schitt’s Creek – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3526078/
Link to The Body Keeps the Score – https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748
Link to Allison’s ‘I’m Not Perfect’ Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEq8B0pSupU
Link to Ruby’s Freedom Fighter Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_6e2BTP-P0
Link to Jenee’s ‘Solitary People’ Video – https://open.spotify.com/album/2ItthdpCSELIqAyST867UD