Early in my career, just as I was leaving college, a radio program director told me to quit radio, and never look back.
“Your voice,” she said, looking to the side. “It’s just not…you should do something else. Radio’s not for you.”
When I listen back to my early tapes, it’s true I sound different than I do now. I sounded like I was early in my career, maybe just leaving college, ready for my first big challenge in media.
Mentors over the years encouraged me to find my own voice, and settle into my uniqueness.
It was rocky at first, and a process that doesn’t truly end.
What do I sound like, really? What am I trying to sound like? Why is it so hard to sound natural while just talking?
Being in public media helped that journey, because it has traditionally been a little more accepting of “untraditional” broadcast voices and accents.
But it’s not a given that you can find enough mentors, coaches, and advocates along the way to affirm you along your journey from unpolished to smooth.
