Get ready for an exhilarating dive into the world of vocal empowerment in today's episode! Join host Monica Marquez and her dynamic guests, Jessica Doyle-Mekkes and Rebecca Simon, as they unravel the secrets to owning and celebrating your unique voice in the professional realm.
Rebecca, a former Broadway star turned esteemed professor, shares her riveting journey from the dazzling lights of the stage to the inspiring halls of academia. She uses her rich experience in voice and dialect coaching to help individuals conquer self-doubt and confidently claim their voice.
Alongside her, Jessica has spent the last 15 years studying the science of the human voice. An internationally published writer and sought after clinician, she focuses on empowering women to unleash their vocal strength and impact the world around them.
Tune in to this episode and be inspired to transform how you use your voice, ensuring it not only resonates but also genuinely reflects your heritage and enriches your professional interactions. Don't miss out on this empowering journey to vocal mastery!
In this Episode you will learn how to:
- Mastering voice control to exude confidence and captivate your audience.
- Unleashing strategies to conquer imposter syndrome and own your success.
- Harnessing the power of deep breathing for compelling and impactful public speaking.
- Eliminating upspeak to command attention and convey authority in your communication.
- Leveraging the significance of body language to enhance the impact of your presentations.
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Highlights
The key moments in this episode are:
[00:00] Introduction to Beyond Barriers Podcast
[00:31] Celebrating Unique Voices in the Professional World
[01:21] Empowering Women Through Voice: Jessica and Rebecca's Insights
[03:44] Rebecca Simon's Journey from Broadway to Voice Coaching
[07:33] Jessica Doyle Meckes on Empowering Women's Voices
[16:13] The Science and Art of Voice: Strategies for Confidence
[22:42] Reclaiming Power and Confidence Through Voice and Body Language
[26:55] Mastering Confidence Through Communication
[27:04] Harnessing the Power of Pause and Confidence
[28:53] The Physiology of Power and Stage Presence
[29:25] Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety
[31:27] Breathing Techniques for Stage Confidence
[34:38] Addressing Upspeak and Vocal Authority
[40:17] Implementing Immediate Communication Improvements
[43:13] Lightning Round Questions -
Lightening Round Questions
Q: What book has greatly influenced you?
A: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyong Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (Jessica)Q: What is your favorite inspiring quote or saying?
A: Oscar Wilde's, Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken. (Rebecca)Q: What is one word or moniker you would use to describe yourself?
A: Unique & Empath (Rebecca)Q: What is one change you've implemented that made your life better?
A: Getting up early. I used to be a night owl and well, part of it's because I have kids and I had to get up early, but now I really enjoy the morning. I find that knowing what part of the day I am most productive and then making myself more productive during that time has been a game changer. (Jessica)Q: What power song would you want playing as you walk out onto a stage?
A: It’s about damn time by Lizzo (Jessica)
A: Fight Song by Rachel Platten (Rebecca) -
Quotes
I don’t believe in lowering the pitch of a woman's voice so she can be heard on a microphone that was made for a man. I don't believe that the natural sound of a woman's voice makes her sound 'annoying' or 'unintelligent.' I do believe that all women are capable, by making small, specific changes, to speak in a way that both reflects who she is and commands a room.
Jessica Doyle-Mekkes
I am enough. I have the right to breathe. I have the right to speak.
Rebecca Simon
Harness the power of your voice
Jessica Doyle-Mekkes
The dialect they came to me with is their badge of honor. That's their recipe. That's who they are. Their ancestors did so much work to get them here, and I do not believe in getting rid of who they are at all.
Rebecca Simon
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About Rebecca
Rebecca is an Assistant Professor in the School of Theatre and Dance at ECU. She is also the resident voice, dialect, and text coach. Prior to working at ECU, Rebecca had the honor of serving as the vocal coach for the McCarter Theatre Company’s production of The White Snake directed by Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman as well as some other shows for their theatre. She has worked for Bristol Riverside Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Forestburgh Playhouse, and many other regional theatres coaching dialects for their productions. For the George Street Playhouse, she recently served as the dialect coach for Charles Busch's new play, Ibsen's Ghost, which is a co-production with GSP and Primary Stages in NYC. She was the dialect coach for the Broadway bound musical A Walk on the Moon as well. She has done coaching for numerous public and private high schools.
Rebecca is a proud member of Actors Equity. Acting credits include the Broadway National Tours of Fiddler on the Roof with Theodore Bikel and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber starring Michael Bolton. She also toured with The Trans-Siberian Orchestra as a vocalist. New York credits include Masada at the York Theatre, Boulevard X at Raw Space, the premiere of Piper’s Song at the Gene Frankel Theatre and Alcestis and Salome, both with the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Regional credits include Steel Magnolias, The Addams Family, Young Frankenstein, A Murder is Announced, La Cage Aux Folles (Forestburgh Playhouse) Sweet Charity (Aurora Theatre) Les Misérables (Actors Playhouse) and Evita, Twelfth Night, Company and Noises Off (Florida Atlantic Festival Repertory).
As a much sought-after clinician and consultant, Rebecca's work has been seen on the stages of many schools, universities, theatres, film, and television. She has presented numerous workshops for NJ Thespians and the Southeastern Theatre Conference, to name a few. Rebecca was a respondent for the Princeton Chapter of the English Speaking Union's Shakespeare Competition for multiple years. Rebecca was a Resident Teaching Artist for the McCarter Theatre Company, where she directed Shakespeare productions with the fifth graders of several Princeton, NJ area elementary schools. Rebecca has served on the faculty of the Tennessee Governor's School of the Arts and for the Springer Theatre Academy and THE EDGE the summer Musical Theatre Program at ECU. Recently, Rebecca taught Voice for the Actor and Musical Theatre for the International Young Theatre Festival (in conjunction with the Josip Juraj Strossmeyer University of Osijek) in Bale, Croatia, working with students and teachers from across Europe. Rebecca maintains a vibrant private studio and is grateful to serve clients in diverse industries from across the globe. Rebecca coaches actors working onstage and on-camera from New York to Los Angeles to Pakistan to London to Greece to Bangkok and many places in between, including work here in Greenville with television news professionals and local production companies.
Professional and Educational directing credits include Shout! The Mod Musical at The Forestburgh Playhouse and Arcadia University, Cuentos Del Arbol for Passage Theatre Company, and the cabaret The Human Heart and Heathers: The Musical for Rider University. For the Forestburgh Playhouse, she has also directed for their cabaret series.
She holds an M.F.A in Acting from Florida Atlantic University where she held the Joshua Logan Assistantship. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University at Buffalo and holds a certification in Colaianni Speech technique.
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About Jessica
Jessica Doyle-Mekkes is the Head of Musical Theatre at East Carolina University where she has taught voice and vocal pedagogy since 2017.
Jessica has spent the last 15 years studying the human voice and working as a vocal coach for actors, singers, and public speakers. An internationally published writer and sought after clinician, her debut book, I’m Speaking: every woman’s guide to finding your voice & using it fearlessly came out in October 2023 from Rowman & Littlefield and was listed as one of the publisher’s most anticipated titles of 2023 with women at their forefront.
Jessica works as a speaker, advisor, and clinician to individuals, groups, NGO’s and businesses small and large teaching women how to harness the power of their voices: in their heads & out of their mouths.
Jessica lives in Greenville, NC with her husband Don, their daughters Tallulah and Jolie, and a codependent chihuahua named Sebastian.