Dear Friends,
As summer comes to a close, and gentle raindrops run down my attic window, I’m finally stopping to pause.
Thinking of three months spent, 22 cities crossed, and the people we met.
New friends, old family members; colleagues, and clients.
Always, there were interactions, relationships, and serendipitous moments that made our family travels memorable.
I’m also thinking about difficult conversations. Because I had the chance to finally meet with (on our last week in Augsburg) a dear aunt I hadn’t seen in 35 years.
We only reconnected recently, after my mother’s funeral. She was her sister and best friend, and hearing her voice somehow brought the better memories of my mom back.
This topic of “difficult conversations,” came up while sharing memories with my aunt:
Of words left unsaid for years,
Of voices that long to be heard—and loved, regardless
Of emotions that crave expression
…yet our common fears of being misunderstood, judged, or blamed, deprive us of that freedom.
So, while we have the freedom to speak, from our hearts, while we have the freedom to find our still, small voice again, while we have the freedom to form words--even though our voice may crack and shake with anxiety, I know:
We need those difficult, deeper conversations.
We need them because we are human. And we humans thrive on connectedness and shared experiences.
We need them because perhaps we have been broken in the past.
But it is in those cracks that the light gets in and reveals beautiful truths.
We need them because our voice is the source from which energy flows.
And when we silence ourselves, we shut up that flow.
I hope that, as you move into a new season of life, you carry with you the hope that there can be brighter days ahead.
That you use YOUR voice in the way you were born for, the way that moves you onto the path only you can walk.
+++
In the weeks to come, I will be reflecting on the memorable EU Voice Conference in Santander, where I spoke on the topic: “Voice Moves the Mind: Soothing Sounds for a Wounded World."
But more significantly, this month in Spain, I lived the shared experience of hundreds of people united by a common passion: Our Human Voice.
And it felt like coming home.
...I will also be producing more episodes of the Voice Box, the official podcast of the Union of EU Phoniatricians, hope you’ll have a listen😊
...And recording Episode number 413 for the Daily Mindset by Mindset by DIVE Studios, a creative project I have poured heart, soul, and mind into for the last two years.
...Plus, finishing up a course on The Healthy Spoken Voice by Vocal Health Education, to continue my voice journey.
Alongside this, getting my kids school routine back, navigating the work-home-studio life (that looks quite different these days!), and being grateful for the chance to create and build a life that I LOVE waking up to every day.
Wishing you and yours a smooth turn of the season.
With Love,
Nikki
@nikkimartinezvoice
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