Best-selling voice coach Samara Bay on Permission to Speak
From helping political candidates in crucial public speaking, to a "huge bidding war" igniting success as an author
“You imagine that maybe it's a little bit like … putting your actor or your client through the paces and making them do exercises and then telling them if they're right or they're wrong.
And the reality is, it is so much closer to social work or therapy than that. There's like a real space holding. There's a real holistic, ‘what's coming up for you psychologically’ that's getting in the way. There's a real shame busting that happens.”
Samara Bay
“Most of us, stereotypically, at least… ‘hate the sound of our voice’- don't like the sound of our voice, maybe feel neutral, but even that's almost a radical act.
Most people say I don't like the way I sound, and some of that is obviously just when we hear ourselves back, it sounds different than it does on the inside.
It's anatomical, and some of it is something else.
Maybe… it's we’re trying to match how we wish we sounded in order to get taken seriously to how we actually sound, and we are reckoning with the gap, the chasm between those two.
So what is this? How we're supposed to sound?
This is where the curiosity and the eyebrow raise really helps.
Where did that story come from? Who did it serve?”
Samara Bay
Before even launching this podcast, I knew I wanted to bring Samara Bay onto the show to talk about the importance of public speaking, changing what power sounds like, and creating a better world by giving ourselves permission to speak.
Once I saw the impact she was having through her acclaimed Substack publication, I felt even more inspired to dig deeper. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about her experiences dialect coaching in Hollywood, changing the course of history by coaching political candidates to speak powerfully, writing a book proposal on astroturf that turned into a bestseller, and how to handle the tough moments in rooms that are unwelcoming or downright hostile.
Samara embraced playful mischief to find her authentic author voice in her bestselling book Permission to Speak, and in our conversation she revealed how her book proposal started a "huge bidding war."
During our insightful chat, we discussed the necessity to extend our work as voice coaches beyond the exercises and technicalities to create safe spaces for vulnerable self-expression. Samara explained, "It is so much closer to social work or therapy than that. There's a real space holding, a real shame busting that happens."
Samara also opened up about allowing herself to share new ideas about voice that she felt she couldn’t talk about when coaching. This feeling led to the creation of her podcast Permission to Speak, where she dives into what our voices say about us.
There is a lot more to this compelling conversation: overcoming doubts while creating a book proposal, working with literary agents and having the courage to share your story. Samara’s story will inspire you to find your voice too.
Samara Bay is a sought-after keynote speaker, thought leader, and speech coach whose clients include political powerhouses, rising leaders in business, and Hollywood celebrities. She’s the author of the 2023 #1 bestseller Permission to Speak: How to Change What Power Sounds Like, Starting With You and her work has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, TIME, CBS Sunday Morning, Fast Company, Glamour, and Vanity Fair, among others. Follow her on Instagram and join her popular Substack community,
.www.samarabay.com to work with Samara privately or invite her to speak with your organization