What are your rates for 1-to-1 coaching?
Pricing can be found on the details page for each program, or contact Sam for more pricing information.
Do you offer a free or discounted trial session?
Pease contact Sam to schedule your no-cost intro call.
What platform do you use for online sessions?
Typically Zoom, but happy to use Skype, Google Hangouts or FaceTime, as well.
Where do the in-person sessions take place?
Due to Covid-19 all coaching currently takes place online.
When do we meet?
Sessions are typically scheduled by appointment and typically at a recurring time/day.
How long will it take to reach my goals?
We’ll work together to customize your coaching program to meet each your needs and goals, though a minimum commitment of 3 months is suggested. Some things to keep in mind when deciding if it’s the right time for you to pursue this work:
- Deadline or goal
- Work schedule
- Learning style
- Lifestyle
- Amount of time to practice or think about the concepts in between meetings
- Self-motivation versus amount of outside structure or accountability needed
- Level of fear, shyness, or hesitation upon beginning
Do you accept insurance?
Unfortunately, I am unable to accept insurance.
What about employer reimbursement?
Don’t forget to ask your company about education or professional development reimbursement. I’m happy to provide invoices or other supporting documentation to help you navigate the reimbursement process.
What is the the first session like?
The first session usually goes something like this:
- Section 1: We spend a few minutes getting to know one another, talking about any new information or experiences that have come up since we last emailed or spoke on the phone. We talk about any questions you have in order to dispel any hesitation or anxiety.
- Section 2: We gently shift the focus to your breath and posture, get you feeling calm and safe and grounded.
- Section 3: Varies by client, but always we do some simple and fun exercises to help you access your voice in the way that you want. If you need physical strength, we’ll do some vocal exercises, if you need to work through your imposter syndrome, we’ll do some exercises specifically around how to speak up, even when you’re afraid or unsure.
- Section 4: We’ll check in with how you’re feeling, make a plan for how we’re going to reach your goals going forward, talk about future scheduling if we haven’t already, answer any new questions.
- Section 5: Hugs, smiles and good-byes.
How do I access my notes and materials between sessions?
After your first session, you will receive a follow up email with a link to your Google folder that has your notes, progress tracker, and any other resources and materials.
Do I have to sing?
You absolutely do not have to sing if you do not want to. If you do decide to give it a try, you’ll find that it’s a really fun and interesting way to quickly break down mental blocks and understand how your voice works.
Many people rate singing at the top of their list of fears – even above death! The fact that singing is so scary is what makes it such a uniquely powerful tool for building confidence and owning your voice. If you can conquer your fear of singing, you can conquer anything. Well, almost anything. 😉
Plus, it’s fun!
Can anybody sing?
Yes, anybody can sing. It is the InnerVoice Vocal Studio philosophy that anyone who can speak can also sing. Medical tone deafness is incredibly rare. We believe the following to be true:
- Singing is available to everyone. It makes individuals feel good and it builds and heals communities when done with others.
- You do not have to sound like the people you hear on the radio in order to sing out loud and share your voice. It is important not to compare your car or shower singing to the modern production techniques used by the music industry to pump out perfect recordings.
- You do not have to hit all the notes perfectly all the time to sing, or to sing with others.
- You have permission to sing simply because it feels good to you.
- You get to choose where, when, and with whom you sing. It’s your voice.
I feel totally confident, I just can’t get my voice to project, and/or when I do it gets tired quickly. Why does this happen?
I hear you. Most physical vocal issues like volume control and fatigue are pretty easy to fix, and we can certainly focus our attention specifically on those physical issues in order to have that clear, resonant voice that you crave.
That said, physical vocal symptoms are more often than not rooted in how we feel about who we are, what we are saying, and/or other factors of being in that exact moment. Therefore, as we work on the physical voice it’s important that we take a look at any underlying factors that are contributing to your vocal experience. There are many reasons why a totally confident person would have a difficult time projecting or might easily feel vocal fatigue. Here are a few things that might be impacting your voice:
- You don’t like the sound of your voice.
- You sometimes feel strong and resonant and at other times quiet. Have you noticed any patterns around time, place, the content or difficulty level of the conversation, the person or persons to whom you are communicating?
- Your posture is a little slouchy, or you sit a lot.
- You have moved into a new work/life situation or circumstance.
- You have previously been reprimanded or called out for something you’ve said, or for your voice sounding a certain way.
- You grew up in a family or culture that emphasized silence, non-communication, suppression of emotions, or accelerated personal achievement.
- You spend a lot of time alone or behind a screen.
- You’re comfortable speaking about specific data, but have trouble sharing in creative brainstorming meetings.
- Your voice feels stronger in your native language than it does in English.
If you’re not totally sure what’s going on with your voice, email me to schedule a phone call and I’ll help you figure out next steps.
I’m looking for a more straightforward singing lesson, do you have any recommendations?
If you are interested in a more ‘typical’ singing lesson or studio experience, I highly recommend these studios. Each of them offers all kinds of singing lessons, workshops, performance opportunities and community events at a variety of price points.
I’m looking for straightforward public speaking lessons, do you have any recommendations?
For more traditional public speaking classes, ask your work if they have a Toastmasters chapter. You might also check out magneticspeaking.com or jenniferhennings.com.