We’re wrapping up our 6 month season and taking a little break to circle the wagons and cook up an even better show for you!   Jenny Walters is back and we’re talking about walking through your daily life and finding what is nourishing to you and what is depleting -- and as usual I want you to check in with your breath!   The Somatic Experiencing author Jenny mentions is Peter Levine (http://www.traumahealing.org/peter-a-levine-phd.php)   Don’t forget to sign up for the mailing list on...

Books: Actor-y An Actor Prepares (Stanislavski) - tried and true about how NOT to act in novel form The Second Circle (Rodenburg) - prior recommend - about acting, being present and harnessing your life-force for good! Acting In Film (Caine) - it’s a quick read and some if it seems a bit trickster-like, but it’s a unique point of view about film acting from one who has been doing it for decades.   Human-y (modern classics) The Alchemist (Coelho) - if you haven’t read this yet, please...

How a delightful dancer from Columbia and a cunning production guy from Quebec created a successful multi-media entertainment company in LA. This is the story of Rene and Donald. Rene Veilleux and Donald Lopez are partners in business and in life. I went to their Verite Entertainment offices in the heart of Koreatown to get to know them and what they do (which is a helluva lot!). They share some great insights about what they look for when hiring actors…(Practice practice...

This week it’s me talking to you about your voice. I’ve been noticing people are paying more attention to the way people sound -- especially with the growing popularity of podcasts -- and there have been many studies done of late about how your voice affects both listener and consequently, you. I give you some homework at the end of the Ep to help you become more aware and more in touch with your voice. Please send questions and comments to [email protected]

This week Jenny Walters is back to help us break up the hard stones of self-criticism and just curious about our confusion.       From the Wiki for Sankhara: The Buddha taught that all such things are impermanent (arising and passing away, subject to change), are essenceless (not worthy of reifying attachment or aversion), and are not reliable sources of pleasure. Understanding the significance of this reality is wisdom. Saṅkhāra is often used in this first sense to describe the...

This week it’s all about web series and all about winner for best supporting actress,Darcie Siciliano! We chat about her popular web series, He’s With Me (http://www.heswithme.tv/), and about how she learned to accept herself as one who does not fit in to typical “actress” molds, and how she got more comfortable about her own process.   Links: He’s With Me web series (http://www.heswithme.tv/) Indie Series Network (http://www.indieseriesnetwork.org/) Indie Series Awards...

In today’s episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with my pal Nancy Linari about voice-over and particularly the world of Audiobooks! Nancy began her career in Chicago with the famed improv comedy group, The Second City. She appeared in David Fincher’s Academy Award-winning The Social Network and Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center.  Her numerous television credits include guest-starring roles on Bones, Brothers & Sisters, Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives, ER, Frasier, Fringe, Grey’s...

Hey Easy Speakers, Some recommendations from today’s Good Friday hodge-podge-cast! Podcasts I like: http://offcamera.com/ http://www.wtfpod.com/ http://www.onbeing.org/   Book oriented podcasts I like: http://booksonthenightstand.com/ http://bookriot.com/category/podcast/   Audio books: http://www.audible.com/ Song of Achilles (Miller) Paying Guests (Waters)   Check out the Hillary C post on the...

This week we talk to actor Joe Mortimer about how a jock from Philly ended up at grad school to study theater, and then on to LA where he launched a very successful career in voice-over (much to the surprise of his voice and speech teachers)! Joe Mortimer Joe Mortimer is a professional voice actor.  He can be heard on t.v.’s and radio’s trying to convince you to buy something.  He graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia and has an MFA from West Virginia University.  In his free...

In this episode my good friend Jenny Walters and I talk about being human. When I teach a class or workshop or coach a client, I am helping not only to open up the vocal instrument, but often times we get into opening up the psyche in regards to self-judging and holding onto old beliefs that don’t work, ideas that tend to manifest physically in the form of tension. Jenny, an artist and therapist, sheds some light about what goes on in the subconscious and how we might look to form a sense...

Following your fear vs following your bliss is what this episode is about. An email I got from Marie Forleo got me to thinking about fear related to our voices and how we speak, and how working on freeing our voices might well we worth the risks.

This week we connect with screenwriter, Deb Setele to hear about her PitchFest experience. We get some great tips and take-aways about how to handle the stress when you’re pitching -- which goes for auditions too! Deborah Setele Screenwriter/Story Analyst Deborah started her career as a screenwriter by writing short stories in her bedroom as a kid. In an effort to become more social as a teenager, she studied acting in high school and then continued her acting and theatre studies at...

This week I’m talking to producer, director, actor, stunt-person, America Young. We talk about how she broke into the business from Nebraska of all places, and how she went from being accepted into med school to having 32 stunt credits on IMDB, and the importance of good relationships. America Young is currently working in many aspects of film-making. A show she co-created has been licensed by POW! (Stan Lee’s production Company) and Comediva. She has directed 5 entire web series, and...

This week I Skype with Elissa Weinzimmer, a vocal health specialist. She’s got a new program explaining in detail How Your Voice Works launching later this month. She’s also the co-creator of the Vibrant Voice Technique with David Ley where vibrators are used to improve your vocal production and resonance. Elissa attended the University of Southern California and after losing her voice she began to study and then became certified in Fitzmaurice Voicework ®. In 2012 she earned an MFA in...

This week I’m letting you in on a conversation I had with veteran dialect coach, Andrew Jack about being on big sets like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Check out his website here. I also tell you about how they found the sound for BB8 for the latest installment of SW. Here is the article in Post mag  

Oh great, I’m sick!   Hello Easy Speakers, So this week I’ve been overcome by the dreaded seasonal cold. Those of you out in snowy places are permitted to snicker at our LA “seasons” but it the temps out here do shift and that shifting has an effect on your bod. If you’re like me, you get a bit frustrated with the whole runny nose hazy existence BS, and that frustration can turn into white hot fear if you have to perform, present or say… record a podcast episode.   This week the Ep will...

This week I wanted to broach the topic of Clarity. Most of us interested in vocal production and accent management are interested in being clear when we speak, right? Well I believe clarity begins inside us with our intention -- before we can communicate clearly we need to be clear about our intention, in our message that is born in our body-mind.   The teacher I mention is Patsy Rodenburg and the book is: The Second Circle, How to use positive energy for success in every...

This week we are visited my actor, Maya Eshet who plays Meredith on the series Teen Wolf (MTV). We talk (and laugh) about her first auditions in LA and her continuous and very specific work on her accent. She offers some great observations about getting started with your career and about waiting for the “right” moment. Maya Eshet is an Israeli actress best known for her role as Meredith Walker on the MTV series, Teen Wolf. She has also appeared in such films as Voices from the Heartland...

In this Episode, Phillip Charles MacKenzie talks about the camera and how…”it really looks into your soul, and your soul better be available...” We talk about starting out with co-star roles and why owning your uniqueness, even when the role is small, is important and can get you more work. Philip Charles MacKenzie is an award winning actor and director. After graduating with an MFA from the Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program, he worked as an actor in regional theatre, the New...

In this episode Lauren talks directly to you -- a bit about breathing, vocal placement and the first steps toward accent management. Please email us with questions after you listen and don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list on www.firstbreathspeech.com so you can get your free gift on Dec 24th!

In this week’s ep, a great conversation with actor, teacher, Artistic Director, Rob Nagle about how a shy kid got bitten by the bohemian actor lifestyle and what 3 essentials actors must master in order to be successful artists. Bitterness “takes a powder”!   Rob Nagle is a proud member of the Antaeus Theatre Company and the Troubadour Theater Company. Recent credits include the world premieres of Meghan Brown’s The Kill-or-Dies (with Electric Footlights and Moving Arts), Melissa Ross’ Of...

In this episode, I’m chatting with casting director, Dan Shaner about what he looks for in auditions and a bit about how the network TV system works. He’s got some great advice about how make acting your daily job - whether you’ve got a gig or not. Dan Shaner has been a Casting Director in film, television and new media for over 25 years, and has cast pilots and/ or episodes for every major studio and network.  He also teaches Business of Acting courses at USC, The American Academy of...

Here in episode two, I talk with Don Williams, the Managing Artistic Director of the Art of Acting Studio in LA. We talk what he looks for in a potential student or actor for the shows he directs, as well as theater vs. film and TV. Since 2002 Don has worked as Head of Acting, Managing Artistic Director and Chief Academic Officer for the Art of Acting Studio, Los Angeles and the Stella Adler Studio NYC. Don holds an MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory and BA from California State...

When I thought about creating First Breath Speech - the website, blogs, videos and podcasts -- I knew I wanted to explore the voice and how we speak, and also how that integrates into other aspects of our lives. I’m interested in how our voices are affected by the way we live and what we think and how we see ourselves. I want to offer ideas as well as practical solutions for actors and public speakers so each person can feel prepared and well-spoken -- though what you say is entirely up to...