If you are a singer, a voice actor, a podcaster, or a presenter, you are using your voice more than the average person. So it makes sense that you have to treat your voice a bit differently. You have to make sure that your instrument's in good shape, that you’re warmed up & that you're stretched out. In this episode I'm going to take you on the beginning of the journey to warming up with my favorite physical warm-ups and stretches. Yes, there is dancing.&nbsp;

All about Warming Up Part One - Warming up the body and stretching.

In this episode I'm going to refresh our basic understanding of breathing anatomy and isolate each of the main areas for breath with a few simple exercises.&nbsp; &nbsp;If you're a singer or an actor, you're going to need more breath than someone who's not. There's a balance that we need to work on between how much breath is released so that the vocal folds can manage the airflow and produce vibrations to get the result you want without blowing&nbsp; apart, and not having enough air to sustain the sound to the end of the phrase.&nbsp; We'll get into that more in later episodes. But for right now, I really want you to think breathing = easy. It supports your vocal expression and it helps you to relax. When you're doing nice deep belly breaths, it can really calm the nervous system. You'll probably notice that if you're just chest breathing, it can make you feel a little bit more anxious? Whichever way you look at it. The most important thing is that the intake of air is easy. The exhale is controlled and the shoulders aren't involved so that the singer or actor has enough breath to sustain long phrases without running on empty, which puts extra pressure on the vocal folds. Enjoy and please grab this download for further practice :)  Messy Transcript &nbsp;Hello, and welcome to episode three, which is part two of warmups. I could have thought that out better anyway, but here we go. It's all about the breath. Well, it's not even gonna be all about the breath, cuz breathing is such a massive topic, especially for singers.&nbsp; So&nbsp; &nbsp; this is gonna be a little intro to the breath. And the very first thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna just make sure that we all have the basic facts of how we breathe and what is happening. I'm sure we all do, but just in case you have kids in the car who don't know, this is how it works. &nbsp; We breathe in through the nose or mouth. If we breathe in through the nose, which is preferable in nearly all circumstances, the air is filtered warmed, and humidified,&nbsp; the filtering continues as air flows down through the throat, the larynx trachea and the bronchi, , which are the two main branches, which divide at the bottom of the trachea. And finally into the lungs, filterings happening all the way down. &nbsp; &nbsp;Each lung has a tree like branch of tubes that end in tiny air sacks called alvioli where the oxygen and the CO2 diffuse in and out of the bloodstream. That's the basics, that's what's going on.&nbsp; &nbsp; The lungs are spongy and dome like, and are tucked away behind the ribcage. And on top of the diaphragm, they're there to absorb oxygen and get rid of, uh, CO2 from the bloodstream. And the tissue surface area is actually about 40 times greater than the outside of the body's surface, which is massive actually. &nbsp; I think it's the question that I get asked the most probably is how to breathe properly. &nbsp; The glib thing that gets said is, well, we know how to breathe because otherwise you wouldn't be talking to me right now, that kind of thing. Um, and that is true to a certain extent, but I think that the more that we can understand effective function of the breath the more we can benefit. &nbsp; During my research, I've found that while many teachers might have different ways to talk about breath control, we're all trying to find the point of most ease and efficiency for our students. I'm always gonna talk about belly breathing because that's something that works for me. It's something we can actually feel, and it helps to keep the shoulders down and the chest lifted, which is what seems to work for my students. &nbsp; There's a lot of debate amongst voice teachers about focusing on the role of the diaphragm in breathing for singing. But what's clear is that the diaphragm works all the time as it's part of the autonomic nervous system. And it seems to share responsibility with the intercostal muscles in between the ribs. &nbsp; Dr. Rena Gupta, a fabulous,...

Breathing, the beginnings.

Here it is, Warm-Ups Part Three. In this episode I talk about: ✅&nbsp; the importance of posture ✅ how to do self-massage to release the face and neck ✅ which common gym class warm-up to avoid ✅ and I make you stick your tongue out a LOT! What larks! Grab the FREE 5 minute warm-up video  Or visit the resources page of my website  If you're loving this so far, please leave me a review and rating on itunes xoxox thank you so very much.&nbsp; P.S I you have questions you'd like me to answer or people you think I should interview, I'd love to know. &nbsp;

Warming Up Part Three - Face & Neck & Self Massage

In this episode we'll dip into hydration (see what I did there?), release the tongue some more and add voice to breath with SOVT exercises.&nbsp; With ALL of the suggestions in this podcast, only do what feels good to you!&nbsp; Here's the link to the  so you can see what I'm doing in all these and some previous exercises.&nbsp; Find me at  and &nbsp; If you'd like the full transcript and all the links in one place go to  &nbsp;

Warming Up Part Four - Hydration, Tongue Release, SOVTS

In this episode we're digging into articulation and everybody's favorite, tongue twisters. I might be improvising an 'articulation song' to a Dean Martin tune and I'm definitely offering a prize of a pack of Tongue Twister Cards, made by the lovely Leo Wiggins as a prize for the best tongue twister shared on social media with me tagged and #yourfreevoice! If you're on Instagram I'm at   @voxchops #yourfreevoice If you're on Facebook  I'm @julianortonsvoicebox #yourfreevoice and if you're on Twitter I'm not there very often, but I will check for you....  I'm @GreatBritishVO #yourfreevoice Let's have those lovely tongue twisters! Extra credit if you make one up yourself! here's the link to the  here's the  video For more links my favorite tongue twisters and a complete, but messy transcript go to:  &nbsp;

Warming Up Part Five - Articulation, Tongue Twisters & Prizes!!

"Your voice wants to heal itself, if you give it the space and the right tools to do that" In this episode we are going to take a look at cool downs, an often neglected, but totally essential part of your vocal health kit. We'll investigate: • Why cool downs are important. • A quick guide to how vocal straws work. • How to cool down with and without a straw. Here are the links to:   If you're going to buy straws, I recommend getting the kit with the cups as well.&nbsp; And here's the link to my . If you've been enjoying this podcast please leave me a review, it's super appreciated. Thank you! Happy voicing! Julia &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Episode 7 - Cool Downs & Straws

Yep. That's a bit of a zinger of a question isn't it? And I bet when you read that, your brain started to provide all kinds of 'sensible' answers? In this episode we unpack some of the old stories and beliefs that might be holding you back from singing. We talk about: ➡️ lack of confidence and stage fright ➡️ lack of opportunity ➡️ not knowing how to choose a song ➡️ technical concerns or fear of injury. I share my stage fright origin story and have some suggestions for how you might uncover and start to release yours.&nbsp; If you enjoyed the warm-up and cool down episodes and want to dig deeper, my short online course  is a great next step, and at $28 it's a bargain if I say so myself 😁 Also, if this episode has made you feel like you migt enjoy a deeper journey into uncovering your blocks to singing you can  to be among the very first to know about my new live class offering.&nbsp; My messy transcript and other shownotes can be found at  Oh, and please don't forget to subscribe, rate and review this podcast ❤️ Thank you so much for listening.

Why Aren't You Singing?

In this episode we dig into what 'tone deafness' really means and why someone might have told you that in the first place. We also dig into: • simple pitch matching • techniques for building pitch confidence • when 'pitch sliding' is a good thing • what is 'the spooky' interval and ask the questions: 1. Are you ready to let go of the pitchy story? 2. Do you have 1-3 minutes a day to build your pitching confidence?&nbsp; I also released the details for my BRAND NEW LIVE course - Begin to Sing! 6 weeks to singing - and you can find all the details and early sign up discounts here ➡️ www.yourfreevoice.com/begintosing

Are you ready to let go of your 'pitchy' story?

We've all been there ... you choke in an audition, you miss your cue or come in late, you give a presentation that just doesn't land right with your audience. In this episode I'm sharing my experiences with all of these moments of 'failure' and 'shame' and take you through the stages of releasing in the moment and moving on. 1. Stop and breathe, notice the stories running rampant and the sensations in your body. 2. Identify any actual 'truths' in the stories. 3. Look at possible causes, (tired, underprepared, technical issues etc). 4. Make a plan of action to reduce the chance of that happening again. 5. Notice your progress, or one good thing about the performance. I also introduce the idea of naming and dressing up your inner critic, trust me it works. And introduce my 5 Re's: RE-cover RE-examine RE-lease RE-frame and most importantly RE-launch! 🚀 Give yourself gratitude for being courageous enough to get out there in the first place! The book I read from was: Resilient by Rick Hanson Ph.D Go the the  for more details and the messy transcript. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

What to do when it all goes horribly wrong 😭

In this episode I'm offering a few thoughts and suggestions for last minute gifts for the singing/acting/voice-professional people in your life. From voice straws to books on breathing and personal development, here are a few of my favorite things, listen to the episode to find out why I chose them.  &nbsp;       &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

A Few Of My Favorite Things - Gift Ideas for the holidays.

A British voice actor who sings and teaches other people how to use their voices. 

Voxchops