The VOHeroes Podcast

Hosted by David H. Lawrence XVII

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Episodes

301

Latest episode

Nov 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Voice over is a heroes' journey. Make it your journey. Actor, voice talent and storytelling coach David H. Lawrence XVII takes you on a journey each episode into the art, commerce, science and mindset of voice over as a performing art, and as a profession and business. Presented by VOHeroes.com.

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November 10, 2026Episode 133095 min

13309: The Biggest Of The Three Big Fears

Hey there, hero! The audacity you have. The sheer gall to start something new, something you’ve never done before. How dare you?! And, of course, there is always some hesitancy…some trepidation…some fear. What’s the biggest one? And what do you do about it? (It’s one that a lot of people find surprising, and an unlikely speed bump on your way to that new shiny thing you’re trying to accomplish.) Let’s talk about it in this episode. Do you face this fear when starting something brand new? Do you find yourself facing other fears, larger or smaller? What are they, and how do you handle them? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/the-biggest-of-the-three-big-fears/ #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you... ... become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ... become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book ( if you’re an author ): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ... be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/ ... master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | Buz...

November 3, 2026Episode 133086 min

13308: Logic vs. Magic

Hey there, hero! No, I’m not talking about a famous court case with the title of this episode. It’s inspired by an audiobook I’m loving called Alchemy, read by the author, Ogilvy’s Rory Sutherland: https://amzn.to/3YVZlUO He’s done a terrific job of putting words to a concept that I’ve felt ever since I pivoted from the (mostly) logical world of tech to the (mostly) magical world of performance. So let’s talk about being at ease with uncertainty, how to be OK with the fact that very little of what you’ve chosen to pursue - whichever art that is, it’s art - is explainable by logic (or explainable at all). What does the uncertainty of our business do to your mental health? How anxious does it make you to not have any ability to count on a reliable process to get work? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/logic-v-magic/ #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you... ... become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ... become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book ( if you’re an author ): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ... be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/ ... master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | Buz...

October 27, 2026Episode 133074 min

13307: Doing Your Very Best, Automatically.

Hey there, hero! As we approach a task, a project, executing a process…we often worry that we somehow won’t do our best. I’m here to tell you that you never have to worry about this again. It’s a bit of a different way of looking at things, but it just might take your confidence to a new level, and offer a bit of relief from doubt. In this episode, I’m going to share a way to look at your level of effort in a different light: assume that you are going to do your very best, automatically, at that very moment. Might it be your all-time best? Maybe. Maybe not. But give a listen for a new way to be confident that you can’t make a mistake and do less. How do you approach judging your outcomes? Do you give yourself a break and have faith that you’re going to automatically kill it, given the tools you have at that moment? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/doing-your-very-best-automatically/ #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you... ... become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ... become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book ( if you’re an author ): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ... be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/ ... master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | Buz...

October 20, 2026Episode 133063 min

13306: Initium Est Dimidium Facti

Hey there, hero! So there’s some new idea or class or skill you’re facing. You’re juuuuust at the precipice of getting underway. How valuable is the simple act of starting that, and not putting it off until later (or not following through at all)? As the Roman poet Horace said in Epistles, "Initium est dimidium facti", he’s reminding us of what James Clear calls “the timeless importance of simply beginning the task at hand.” What’s the translation? "Once you've started, you're halfway there." I’m not sure you realize just how powerful simply taking that first step is. So, here’s my reminder of how energizing that is, and how limiting the hesitation to start can be. Is it easy for you to take that first step? If so, how dies it feel? And if not, what are you fearful of? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/initium-est-dimidium-facti/ #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you... ... become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ... become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book ( if you’re an author ): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ... be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/ ... master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | Buz...

October 13, 2026Episode 133055 min

13305: In Praise Of A Little Slack In Your Schedule

Hey there, hero! I talk about bias for action all the time, and it's not always about being ultimately efficient, it's often about building in slack in case disaster strikes. I recently read an article on Big Think by Eric Markowitz on this idea, and he said something that just spoke to me: "We worship efficiency. We optimize. We squeeze. But when the storm hits — and it always does — what keeps you afloat isn’t optimization. It’s excess capacity. Wiggle room. Optionality. Margin for error. It’s slack." https://bigthink.com/the-long-game/slack-the-key-to-resilience-in-a-world-that-keeps-breaking/ Others have said it even more succinctly: It's better to have slack than ultimate efficiency. It's better to have some savings in the bank than live paycheck to paycheck. It's better to be prepared for the unexpected by having some padding built in. Having a bias for action helps if disaster strikes. How do you give yourself a break with your schedule, and still refine your processes? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/in-praise-of-a-little-slack-in-your-schedule/ #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you... ... become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ... become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book ( if you’re an author ): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ... be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/ ... master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | Buz...

October 6, 2026Episode 133046 min

13304: The Automatic Choice From Your Personal Menu

Hey there, hero! One of the concepts I learned when I trained in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) has stuck with me like paint, and has really helped me be at peace with my level of accomplishment. And maybe it will help you. It’s a bit of a chain reaction, but it can ease the anxiety of feeling like you’re not good enough, or you don’t always rise to the occasion, or you need to do better. Our personal menu, and the automatic choice we all make to select the number one item on that personal menu, assures that you are good enough, you do rise to the occasion, and that you’re always doing your best. Every. Single. Time. This episode has a bit to unpack, but it might be worth it to you. Do you struggle with being “good enough”? Does the concept of personal menu choices help ease the uncertainty and give you more confidence? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/the-automatic-choice-from-your-personal-menu/ #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you... ... become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ... become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book ( if you’re an author ): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ... be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/ ... master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | Buz...

September 29, 2026Episode 133035 min

13303: The Best Solution For Reducing Mouth Noise

Hey there, hero! One of the most frequently asked questions about the physical nature of voice and on-camera performance is what to do about mouth noises. And when people offer potential solutions, I will reply “Fantastic! So glad that’s working for you.” With a biiiiiiiggggg caveat… …what works for someone else may or may not work for you. Why? Because everyone has a slightly different biology when it comes to saliva production (and reduction). For example, green apples don’t work for me (they actually make things worse), but they may work for you, and maybe even better than it does for someone posting in a group that this is THE solution. The point is to try it out, and if it works, great. Try more things out whether green apples work or not. Let’s start a list of the things you’ve tried and rejected, or tried and succeeded with. Maybe someone else will be helped by one or the other. What works (or doesn’t work) for you? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/the-best-solution-for-reducing-mouth-noise/ #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you... ... become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ... become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book ( if you’re an author ): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ... be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/ ... master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | Buz...

September 22, 2026Episode 133025 min

13302: How To Produce Audiobooks For Rights Holders Globally (Not Just Where ACX Operates)

Hey there, hero! ACX is a great way to connect with a client to produce their audiobook, but only if both of you are tax paying residents of one of four countries: the US, the UK, Canada or Ireland. If you both live in one of those, you’re golden. If not, you’re stuck. And it’s been an ongoing problem for both narrators and rights holders to contract if either live in places like Australia, any country in the EU, Mexico or other Central American/Caribbean countries, South American countries, Japan, India, China…you name it. If you’re not the ACX four, you’re going to have issues. Especially as a union narrator. Welp, just moments ago, I finished recording a Zoom session with Noah Michael Levine, my paymaster. I use him for all directly paid audiobook narration projects, on ACX or not. He’s the guy who runs Skywire Paymaster Services. https://skywirepaymaster.com/ And he has a solution for that pesky “We live in different countries, one or more of which is non-ACX” issue. He can administer that kind of project, too. Hear him talk about that in this particular episode of the podcast. Questions? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/how-to-produce-audiobooks-for-rights-holders-globally-not-just-where-acx-operates/ #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you... ... become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ... become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book ( if you’re an author ): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ... be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/ ... master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | Buz...

September 15, 2026Episode 133015 min

13301: Daring To Move From The Dreaming To The Doing

Hey there, hero! There’s a lot of dreaming going on in our community. We simply have to be dreamers to decide to be creative artists. And we also have to be doers. And that moment when you decide you can’t ignore your dreams any longer and have to put in the work to achieve them…can stop us dead in our tracks. It’s a big leap to move from the possibility of something nebulous and fancy to something planned and concrete. And…you could fail miserably at the execution. I’m offering a pathway or two to make that moment a bit easier and more graceful for you. Do you hesitate to pursue your dreams because of that moment of decision? That feeling of doubt? What do you do about it? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/daring-to-move-from-the-dreaming-to-the-doing/ #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you... ... become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ... become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book ( if you’re an author ): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ... be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/ ... master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | Buz...

September 8, 2026Episode 133004 min

13300: Only Use These Two Words When Receiving Feedback

Hey there, hero! I’ve noticed that some people have forgotten, or have never learned, the most useful words you can use when you are getting feedback from those who might give you work. Without judging the quality of the feedback, without deciding whether to use their feedback or not, just say “thank you.” I’ve seen some younger (and older) creative types, when getting feedback, perceive any criticism as an attack. They then launch into an explanation of their choices, or contradicting the logic of the coach, teacher, casting director or editor, or any number of other defenses of their choices. There’s no need to do that, unless asked to explain those choices. If that isn’t requested, just thank the other party and move on. Whether you agree with them or not, there’s no need to feel attacked. I mean, hey - you asked for the feedback (I’m talking about seeking work, not some “fan” telling you that you suck on social media = although “thank you” stops the conversation/trolling there as well), so be gracious about getting it. Just say “thank you.” And listen constructively to whatever else they have to say. Is that how you graciously receive feedback and constructive criticism? Or are you watching this episode and thinking I’m a weak-ass pushover who doesn’t fiercely stand up for his creative choices? Let me know in the comments below. REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/only-use-these-two-words-when-receiving-feedback/ #Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #Marketing Want to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here’s how I can help you... ... become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ... become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you’re an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book ( if you’re an author ): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ... be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/ ... master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | Buz...