Rebecca Rapoport-Cole

Performance anxiety triggers a fight-or-flight response, which naturally speeds up your heart rate and shortens your breath. When your breathing becomes shallow and high, you can get light headed, compromising both your performance mindset and vocal support. The Tip: Reset Your Breath Before you speak or step on camera, use this simple pacing exercise to calm your nervous system and engage with lower, deeper breaths. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4, letting your belly...

Welcome to June. Let's talk about public speaking, delivery and mindset — be it a presentation to a room full of people or a direct to camera audition. Whether you're stepping up to a podium, presenting in a meeting, or delivering copy directly to camera — there's one shift that will change how you show up. Imagine you're only speaking to one person — and be really specific about who that person is. When you speak to one specific person instead of a room of 100, everything changes....

It feels like a quick fix — but it's one of the most damaging things you can do to your voice. When you clear your throat, your vocal folds slam together forcefully. That repeated impact causes irritation and swelling — and here's the frustrating part: the irritation triggers more mucus production, which creates the urge to clear again. It's a cycle that feeds itself. So what do you do instead? - Swallow. It moves the mucus without the impact. - Sip water. Hydration thins mucus and reduces...