“I have a lot of fun playing with accents in Spanish, and I wish I wasn’t so shy and so closed off to trying to do it in English. But ultimately, I think it has to do with the relationship that I have to my voice.” – Ana Lorena Sánchez
On this episode of Speaking Of… I’m speaking with actress Ana Lorena Sánchez about how she got into acting and her relationship with her voice.
Ana wanted to know: How does our ancestors’ experience of their voice affect ours? We then dive into a fascinating conversation about generational trauma and why women are often silenced. We talk about why so many people are disconnected from the power of their voice – which resides in the lower abdominal area and diaphragm – and the workarounds many people develop to overcome this disconnection.
Ana and I also walk through some practical breathing exercises that can make you feel more grounded and connected to your feelings when speaking in public or performing. We wrap up by touching on the practice of Restructuring your voice and talk about the intimate connection between your body and your speech.
This episode is a bit more on the technical side than the conceptual, so feel free to do the exercises along with us – I bet you’ll notice a big difference in your breathing right away.
Interview Highlights:
How Ana began her career in acting while studying psychology.
The effects generational trauma can have on our voices.
How Ana’s relationship with her voice affected how she felt about taking roles that required singing.
The physicality of supporting your voice.
How our fears about speaking shape both our physical presence and the way our voice sounds.
A tool for supporting the voice to make speaking and singing easier.
Featured on the Show:
8 Women by Robert Thomas
The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler
Ben Mathes of Crash Acting