The Most Unexpected Lesson My Voice Teacher Has Taught Me

I've spent much of my career helping others find their voice. I thought voice lessons would help me find my own... but they have given me that and so much more.

Ironically, voice lessons are teaching me as much about leadership, learning, and mindset as they are about singing.

One lesson has surprised me more than any other:

I keep wanting breakthroughs. Instead, my teacher keeps reminding me to trust the process.

In singing, you're not only building new coordination—you are also unlearning habits that may have been with you for decades. That combination requires patience, humility, and repetition.

I've noticed my inner dialogue changing.

Instead of asking, "Why can't I do this?"

I'm asking:

• What old habit am I holding onto?

• Am I trying too hard instead of allowing the voice to adjust?

• What if improvement is happening even when I can't hear it yet?

It has made me realize how much of meaningful growth—whether in leadership, communication, or life—isn't about trying harder.

It's about becoming more coachable.

Being willing to receive feedback.

Being willing to make mistakes.

Being willing to be a beginner again.

The breakthrough I'm looking for probably won't arrive in one dramatic moment. It will likely be the result of hundreds of small repetitions that, over time, quietly become a new way of being.

Maybe that's the lesson voice lessons were really meant to teach me.

What's one skill you've worked on that ended up changing the way you think about yourself—not just your ability?