About Me
Let's Get Acquainted
My passion is to show teens and adults who are frustrated with their speaking voice and want to uplevel their interpersonal/people skills how to speak, move and engage with ease, impact and results.
If you have struggled with your voice, you know how insecure and anxious this problem can make you feel. And there is no need to keep suffering.
I have been blessed to blend my fascination with the art and science of how we connect, my love of music and my passion for supporting individuals to express themselves authentically with high levels of self and 'other' awareness.
Freedom has been an ongoing theme in this work...
Freedom of the Breath to flow through the body, allowing us to express and engage with ease and to minimize stress as we also flow with the events of our lives. We can learn to breathe through the fearful limitations that strangle our voice and cause us to struggle and hold back in life.
Freedom of the Voice to express our thoughts, feelings and desires authentically with purpose, impact and ease. And to ensure that we are engaging with others, both verbally and non-verbally, in ways that foster the mutual trust, respect and caring that forges strong, life long connections.
Our Non-Verbal skills (body talk) are crucial to establishing effective communication and strong connections. We LEAD with our non-verbals! They transmit 60% of our intention/message--long before we speak a word. Therefore, we must be conscious about the non-verbals we want to lead with in our interactions--personal, social and business.
Presentation skills coaching is the key to mastering your non-verbal communication and increasing the odds that the message you want to convey will be received. Don't kid yourself--you are ALWAYS presenting. Every time you interact with someone, you are presenting yourself. An executive coach can help you become aware of the impression you are making and show you how to make sure it is the impression you want to make.
Lastly, my personal desire for myself and everyone I coach is that we all experience and express greater Freedom to thrive--with every breath, gesture, word or song- and every courageous step we take towards connecting with others and achieving our goals.
Considering that change is the rule and nature of life and that all of us deal with fear on some level each day, we need effective tools to shift from fear to freedom in order to authentically express who we are, envision and create the life we want to experience and to expand our awareness and abilities to move beyond the limitations we view in our path.
My PhD from the School of Hard Knocks:
I was born into a musical family and have been singing and performing since the age of three. In high school, I won numerous vocal competitions at the state and regional levels. At the age of 16, I performed in an honest to gosh beauty pageant and received the award for Best Talent with my vocal/piano arrangement of Edgar Winter's rock ballad, Autumn (singing for a crowd more familiar with Julie Andrews).
In college, I sang at campus coffeehouses, countless weddings & other special events as I completed my schooling with a masters degree in education, and traversed a 40+ year career of teaching in a variety of educational settings from early childhood programs, to an adjunct faculty position at the college level, to a clinic intervention setting, to transitioning into private coaching. I have enjoyed supporting speakers and singers at all levels for 20 years now. AND I did a lot of things wrong until I 'enrolled' in the School of Hard Knocks--kicking and screaming.
The gift in that experience is that I now understand many hard issues that professional speakers and singers can face - because I've experienced many of them myself. I was born hearing-impaired. It was diagnosed when I was in grade school. I have no hearing in my right ear, but I have a lifetime of handy tips for effectively dealing with that. In 2000, I experienced vocal cord paresis caused by a viral infection (for you curious types, that would be: Superior Laryngeal Nerve Paresis, right side, which resulted in stiffness & compensatory functional dysphonia). This was all complicated with concurrent a diagnosis of GERD (reflux), hypothyroidism and vocal fold hemorrhages.
That was a time of great fear that my voice might be gone, so I persisted in following a rigid plan of daily exercises for over three years to regain my vocal function. Throughout this process, I continued to coach and perform full time. The importance of self-awareness in the process of shifting habits became apparent during this time...it is the key to progress and success!
My lengthy personal journey of healing my own voice to bring it back to full function with more range and better tonal quality than existed prior to the injuries, honed my skills as a vocal coach. Diet and lifestyle changes cleared up all signs of GERD and I've maintained a low dose of thyroid support since my diagnosis.
You don't need years of coaching---but you do need enough coaching to know & understand your voice so you can take charge of your speaking or singing, develop good breathing and vocal technique habits, and learn healthy vocal practices to keep your voice healthy and strong.
More About Breathing:
In 2004, after observing unusual breathing patterns in a number of my students, I pursued an Advanced Certification in Breath Therapy with Carol Lampman of Integration Concepts. This invaluable training, along with continued study of the breath, ever deepens my awareness of the vital and intimate connection between the breath and the body, emotions and our thoughts.
When we restore our natural, free, full-body breath, we FREE ourselves to experience increased well-being on every level of our being. In the years since this training, I have had the opportunity to deepen my understanding and faith in the power of the breath by 'breathing through' several life-altering events--- including cancer. It works---your breath will always give you what you need!
Each of us has our times of reckoning and our moments of choice. Whether fear holds you back from speaking up, singing out, getting up on a stage to present your ideas or strut your stuff, saying 'no' to your best friend or spouse or boss, or from even taking a deep breath when you feel stressed out...you can choose a new ways of healthy connection and say 'yes' to yourself and allow your breath to center your body, calm your emotions, clear your mind, and even open you to intuitive insight as to your next step---all as it neutralizes your stress response and activates your relaxation response. That was a big sentence--read it again and let it sink in :-)
Education:
Connie holds a BA in Social Work, a MS degree in Education; Advanced Certification in Breath Therapy; a Certificate of Voiceworks Method & Pedagogy of Styles Training; college-level coursework in Piano Pedagogy; 10 years of private piano study, including study with Master Teacher, Sara McDaniel, in Colorado Springs; Certificates of SoP/People Skills and Presentation Skills Training and more...
Experience:
Over 40 years of individual and group teaching in both child and adult education settings. I have been coaching speakers and singers in Colorado Springs since 2000 and providing Essential Breathing coaching since 2004.
In addition to my coaching schedule, classes, workshops and keynotes, I occasionally perform solo vocal/piano & love to 'mix it up' with other local musicians. I have also served as the Music Director for Unity Spiritual Center since 2001.
As a Speaker & Workshop Facilitator...
I have organized and facilitated inspiring and innovative workshops, conferences and classes for over 40 years in a variety of settings.
Workshops include...
Awaken Your Voice Speaker
Body Talk (Non-Verbal Cues)
Free Your Breath to Thrive
A Crash Course in Good Singing
Customized options are available for businesses and groups.
Notable Venues:
Black Rose Acoustic Society, Open Stage
Springspree, Colorado Springs
Pikes Peak Hospice, Major Donor Receptions, Colorado Springs
The Famous, Steakhouse, Colorado Springs
Better Business Bureau, Special Event w/ Wally Amos, Colorado Springs
Mill Dog Rescue, Concert Fund-Raiser, Colorado Springs
The Glory of Love, Concert Fund-Raiser, Colorado Springs
Music on the Mesa, Concert Fund-Raiser, Colorado Springs
SCUCA Conference, GlenEyrie, Colorado Springs
SpiritWoman Conference, Center for Spiritual Living, Colorado Springs
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