Hey Reader,
Welcome back.
The algorithms remain unstable, the humans remain fascinating.
Your voice is lying to you…
The voice you’ve been walking around with your whole life? It’s not really yours.
Shocking, right? But hear me out.
What you think of as your “natural” voice is actually just a collection of ‘habits’ you picked up somewhere along the way. Your dad talked fast, so you talk fast.
Your mom whispered through every conversation like she was in a library, and suddenly, so do you. How many ‘habits’ have you ‘stolen’ from your friends?
You’re using your “Habitual Voice”.
None of that was a choice. It was just… “absorption”.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Those same habits that shaped how you speak are also shaping how people “see you”.
Your competence. Your confidence. Your presence. All of it is being filtered through patterns you never even decided to have.
Your voice is your “Personality”!
Nobody handed you a voice. You borrowed one, repeated it a few thousand times, and now it feels like home.
Think about that for a second. The thing people use to judge whether you’re worth listening to is something you never consciously built.
But here’s the good news… Habits can be retrained.
You can slow down your pace. You can add weight to your words. You can stop sounding like you’re apologizing for taking up space every time you open your mouth.
These are not “personality traits”. They are skills.
And skills can be learned.
A “One on One with Royce” (me) gives you real, actionable feedback on your biggest vocal challenges. After 30+ years in Major Market Radio, I’ve heard what works and what quietly loses people. (link below)
Your “habits” are NOT your “destiny”.
Stellar Quotes
“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.”
James Clear
“The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.”
Paula White
What 17-year-old me learned from “legends”.
Most people think the winner should sound like a “Winner”.
Clear voice. Confident tone. Ready for their close-up. Like they rehearsed the moment in the shower that morning.
Not the “Real Don Steele”!
Don was a Radio legend in Los Angeles. The kind of DJ who made you pull over just to hear the END of a song. If you grew up in Southern California, you know exactly who he was. If you’re farther east, think Cousin Brucie or Larry Lujack. That caliber.
So there I was, 17 years old, working at Ten-Q in Los Angeles as a “Record Librarian” and “High School Coordinator.”
Fancy titles for a kid who was really just absorbing everything he could from Radio royalty.
I’d spend hours in the studio every day…with the “Real Don Steele”!
People would kill for that kind of ‘access’ today. And the Stories!
From his days at KHJ, to life lessons like…
“Don’t ever go to Hawaiian Gardens after dark, Royce. The cops go in at night!”
Don had a rule nobody could figure out, Reader…
During contests, “Caller five wins concert tickets”. Simple enough, right?
Don would punch through the phone bank, say “Ten-Q,” and the moment someone came back with a clear, bright, excited “Did I win?”… he’d bark back, “Nope, keep trying.”
But the second he heard a fumbling, barely-there voice mumbling something like “…is this the radio station?” — boom. “You’re the Winner”!
Every. Single. Time.
Nobody could figure it out. But Don had been doing Radio longer than most people had been alive.
We had a special ‘preamp’ installed just to power his headphones, and those headphones were so loud you could hear them across the room like someone left a Radio on the floor.
The guy knew things the rest of us hadn’t even thought to wonder about yet.
It took years before I understood what Don already knew.
The best voices are not always the loudest or the clearest. Sometimes the most interesting story comes from the most unexpected place.
A great host finds the gold nobody else heard.
That lesson stuck with me through 30+ years in Major Market Radio.
And now I get to pass it on.
Diversions
Your Thoughts
Help me settle something…
I’ve got a theory about who reads this newsletter.
Let’s see if I’m right 👇
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Free Coaching!
I’m offering a totally free 30-minute coaching call. Normally, I’d charge a hundred bucks an hour, but this one’s on the house.
For the first 20 minutes, ask me anything about improving your “Vocal Confidence”, marketing your podcast, etc.
In the last 10 minutes, I’ll toss you a couple of quick questions.
Things you’re struggling with, where you like to hang out online…
You’ll leave with (at least) one solid, profitable insight. And nope, there’s no sales pitch.
We can do it by Zoom or phone, whichever you prefer. https://calendly.com/roycethewriter/royce-coaching-call
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