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This mini-sode is more than a warm-up—it’s a return to yourself.

Straight from the opening moments of the Spring 2025 Soulful Speaking Immersion, this grounding practice invites you to root into the earth, rise into your voice, and connect with your soul’s presence.

Whether you’re about to speak, create, or simply want to reconnect with your truth, let this be your reset. Close your eyes (unless you’re driving), take a breath, and come home to you.

Presence isn’t just the preparation—it is the practice.

The Soul of Visibility
A Soulful Speaking Playshop for loving rebels on a soul-driven mission.

Join us for The Soul of Visibility, a live, interactive Soulful Speaking Playshop where we’ll explore visibility not as a performance, but as a sacred act — one rooted in presence, truth, and soul.

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening!

Take the free quiz and learn which Soul Sucker™ you need to release to free your voice: https://voice-matters.com/soul-sucker-quiz/

Follow me on:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voice_matters_llc/

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauri-smith-voice-matters/

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@voicematters9646

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How do you find your voice—whether in writing, speaking, or leading? In this episode of Soulful Speaking, I sit down with Amy Vogel, an author and book coach who helps women share their stories and turn their publishing dreams into reality.

Amy’s journey took her from sales to preaching to publishing, and she shares the lessons she’s learned about authentic communication along the way. We dive into relational speaking, overcoming the fear of not having a story to tell, and why embracing imperfection leads to deeper connections.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Your story is already inside you. Many people think they don’t have a story worth sharing, but it's often just waiting to be uncovered.
2. Speaking and writing are both relational. Whether on stage or on paper, great communication is about connecting with your audience.
3. Perfection kills connection. The more we try to be perfect, the less we engage with the people we’re speaking to.
4. Your audience is rooting for you. Whether you’re auditioning, giving a talk, or publishing a book, people want you to succeed.
5. Set an intention for your audience. Before speaking or writing, ask: What do I want people to experience?
6. Be the guide, not the hero. When sharing your story, remember—you’re not Luke Skywalker; you’re Yoda, guiding your audience.
7. Creativity is a process, not an instant download. Writing (like speaking) is about discovering clarity through the act of doing.
8. Don’t be afraid to have fun. The best speakers and writers allow room for spontaneity and human moments.
9. Authenticity is what people remember. More than your words, they remember how you made them feel.

About Amy
Amy Vogel is an author and women's book coach. Her fiction books are themed for feminine empowerment, offering readers a fresh perspective on what it means to be a woman. Through her nonfiction works, she provides practical tools for healing and finding hope. As an entrepreneur and coach, Amy is dedicated to empowering women to share their stories, helping them cast a vision for a better world by turning their publishing dreams into reality.

Connect with Amy
www.amywvogel.com

You know that moment when someone isn’t “performing,” but fully present?
Their breath deepens… their voice drops in… and suddenly, you FEEL them.

That’s soulful speaking.
And on May 28th, I’m holding space for you to explore it.

Join me for the next Soulful Speaking Playshop:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/voicemattersllc/1371632

The Speaker Alter Ego Quiz

Take the Speaker Alter Ego quiz to find out which protective mask hides your natural radiance so you can learn how to get present, connect deeply, and share your vision when it matters most!

https://voice-matters.com/speaker-alter-ego-quiz/

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening!

Take the free quiz and learn which Soul Sucker™ you need to release to free your voice: https://voice-matters.com/soul-sucker-quiz/

Follow me on:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voice_matters_llc/

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauri-smith-voice-matters/

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@voicematters9646

Send Lauri a message

What if the voice in your head that tells you you're too much—or not enough—isn’t the truth, but a frightened part of you trying to keep you safe?

In this episode, Lauri shines a compassionate light on the “Soul Suckers”—inner critics like the Nervous Nellies, the Controlling Stage Mothers, the Imposter Monsters, and the Below-the-Belt Bastards. With storytelling, warmth, and grounded wisdom, she guides you through recognizing their influence, reclaiming your voice, and using Soulful Speaking tools—Intend, Align, Invite—to let your soul speak instead.

Whether you’ve been holding back in meetings, onstage, or in life, this episode is a call to stop shrinking and start resounding. Because your voice isn’t broken—it’s just been drowned out.

TAKEAWAYS

1. The Soul Suckers all whisper the same core lie: “Not enough.”
2. Ignoring them doesn’t work—in fact, it makes them louder.
3. Soul Suckers convert you into the toy drum version of yourself; your soul was born to play the real drum.
4. Intend, Align, Invite is the antidote: intention clears the static, alignment opens the channel, and invitation allows us to touch others in the way only we can.
5. Each Soul Sucker has a kernel of truth—but it's distorted.
6. Being different is not a flaw. It’s your one-in-eight-billion superpower.
7. The Controlling Stage Mothers steal spontaneity; connection matters more than perfection.
8. Releasing the Soul Suckers doesn’t mean silencing them—it means choosing not to let them drive the bus.
9. When you honor your soul’s voice, cosmic shifts can happen.

The Soul of Visibility
A Soulful Speaking Playshop for loving rebels on a soul-driven mission.

Join us for The Soul of Visibility, a live, interactive Soulful Speaking Playshop where we’ll explore visibility not as a performance, but as a sacred act — one rooted in presence, truth, and soul.

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening!

Take the free quiz and learn which Soul Sucker™ you need to release to free your voice: https://voice-matters.com/soul-sucker-quiz/

Follow me on:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/voice_matters_llc/

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauri-smith-voice-matters/

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@voicematters9646