When Your Voice Doesn’t Match Your Authority
One of my clients is a scientist and researcher, incredibly accomplished in her field, deeply intelligent, and a clear communicator when writing or one-on-one.
But public speaking? She dreaded it.
She told me her voice felt shaky and rushed. It never felt like it matched her expertise or how much she cared about her work. Presenting at conferences, speaking on panels, or MCing events left her feeling drained just thinking about it, even when she had something really important to say.
And that’s a pattern I see all the time. Especially in women working in science, health, and data-driven industries, where the expectation is to be clear and objective, but never too expressive. The result? A voice that starts to feel disconnected from the person behind it.
What We Worked On
We didn’t overhaul her voice.
We worked with it, gently, practically, and with purpose.
We focused on small things that make a big difference:
- How she breathes before speaking
- Pacing and pause – giving the audience time to take her in
- Resonance and vocal placement – so she felt grounded rather than anxious
- Shifting the inner narrative from “I have to prove myself” to “I’m already enough”
The goal wasn’t to sound polished.
The goal was to sound like her – clear, confident, and connected.
The Turning Point
A few months into our work, she was asked to MC a major event in her field – the kind of thing that would have sent her into a spiral before.
But this time, something shifted.
She said she actually looked forward to it.
She felt prepared, she felt like herself, and more than that, she said:
“I got such great feedback from my colleagues… but the real win? I enjoyed it. That’s a first.”
And a few weeks later, she sent me this:
“MaryAnne (Mac) helped me build confidence and clarity in how I present my work, so I can communicate complex research with impact.”
– Dr Carol El-Hayek, Epidemiologist
What Voice Coaching Can Really Do
This is why I do this work.
Because voice isn’t just about projection or posture. It’s about expression. It’s about finding a way to speak that feels true, not forced. Confident, but not performative. Powerful, but never pushed.When your voice finally feels like you –
That’s when it all clicks into place.
