Most singers believe their voice is the problem.
It’s not.
In this episode of Vocal Tips in 10, Amber Mogg Cathey breaks down one of the most common patterns she sees in singers and voice-led artists: feeling stuck, strained, or limited—not because of their voice, but because of the training, messaging, and beliefs they’ve absorbed along the way.
Many artists assume their voice “can’t” do certain things—whether it’s high notes, mix, power, or consistency. But in most cases, the issue isn’t ability. It’s a mismatch between the voice and the tools they’ve been given.
Amber unpacks:
This episode goes beyond technique. It’s about reframing the relationship singers have with their voice—so they can stop second-guessing and start trusting what’s possible.
Your voice isn’t broken. You just haven’t been given the right support yet.
00:00 Finding Your True Voice
05:20 The Value of Every Unique Voice
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I think about it like when I work with vocal artists and helping them find their authentic true voice and sound. You know, we really work on What is your sound? What is it you really want to say and communicate? How do you want to do that? And who do you want to communicate it to? So I take that work very seriously. And this is putting that same kind of lens on the work that I do.
And one of the big things that came out of it today is what did I want to jump on and talk to you about? So this will probably be a shorter episode though, if you've been here before, you know me, I have the last name, Cathey for a reason, very chatty. But today was really about what am I here to say? And it's a lot of prompts and things like that. that I want to say to all singers, all voice-led artists,
So that's everything from voiceover artists to public speakers, podcasters, any creative that uses their voice to share their creativity and share their art. I wanna say to those singers and voice-led artists, there has never been anything wrong with your voice. Your voice was never the problem. It's the teachings around it that have been holding you back.
And so more than anything, I wanted to make sure and come on and just say that so clearly. I hope that's communicated in everything I do because that's something I believe so strongly. And then I just want to talk a little bit more about what that means to me. So notice I didn't say it's the training that has been holding you back, even though that's a piece of it. It's the teachings around your voice that have been holding it back. So for me, that could mean literal training and technique.
Either you have gotten training and technique before that was not a good fit for you. Maybe it tried to put you in a particular box that you don't belong in that didn't fit for you. Maybe you worked with somebody that was really great, but they're quite dogmatic and they're very big on this is the way we do it. And that didn't work for you and your voice and your body. It could be a number of things when it comes to technique and training. I also mean though, the messages you've gotten about your voice.
the things we all hear about our voice, whether that goes back, to when we were children to like, hey, I know definitely for me, and I haven't changed all that much, just now I'm comfy with it. Definitely for me, it was like, hey, you talk too much, you're a little too loud.
You're a little too joyful. You're always smiling and laughing and singing and kind of dancing around and you really need to cool it. Okay. You're taking a lot of attention off of what other people need to be doing. I was not striving to take attention away from other people. I just was being myself and I learned throughout that process as I got older in my years in school that not everybody loved that.
But whether it's stories like that, which we all have been told in one way or another, and we carry those with us and those affect us, our comfort level with sharing our voice, I see it all the time with singers, with being loud or with being vulnerable or with being seen and heard. I work with so many singers and in so many various ways over the past many decades.
where this is an issue, they really wanna do it and they're like, yeah, I just can't get any volume in my voice. And when we really get down to it, yes, there's some tension and there's some technical things we need to work on, but it stems from this deep feeling of because I shouldn't be loud. People actually don't wanna hear what I have to say. So whether it's messages like that or whether it's messages you received when you did try and sing that weren't positive, some jerk that, know.
doesn't do what you want to do anyway, 99 % of the time, said something snarky or flippant or some teacher didn't think about it when they were like, no, that's not really your thing. Why don't you try something else? And it just crushed you more than you even realized. That's what I mean by teachings. So whether it's literal technique, direct messages we got, excuse me, frog in my throat, it makes me tiny emotional, subconscious messages we got. It's something that has not.
been working for us. And then what I find is then you walk away thinking, well, I guess I just, I can't have mixed voice. I don't have high notes. I don't really have like a full sound. I hear that from so many people. I'd love to have power, but I've just been told like my voice doesn't do that. I'd love to do.
More riffs and runs. I'd love to have more agility. Man, that music really speaks to me. But I've just been told my voice doesn't do that. And I'm here to tell you right now, if someone told you your voice doesn't do that, unless you have a genuine medical condition, a pathology, partial paresis, something like that, it is not that your voice can't do it. You just haven't been given the right tools yet. That's all.
Everyone's voice is valuable. And if you feel moved to share it in some way through singing, through speaking, sharing it in any way, you should do it. Singing, using our voice, it's how we share what's inside of us, which is what makes the work I do and that we do, if you are a voice user listening to this and you very likely are, it makes it hard.
I wish we could separate the mental from the physical and the physical body from the technique and the health and we can't. It's just all big one human mess and human beautiful mess. That's why we love it so much. But if you are not where you wanna be with your voice, for whatever reason, it's not your voice. It's everything you have heard or you have done so far surrounding your voice. You need different tools. You need different messages.
You need to do something that works for you. And as far as I'm concerned, a big thing for me, I always want really professional, high level, good tools that focus on function and technique and good health and sustainability and longevity and great artistry and musicality. And if there is not fun and joy in the work we are doing, pass for me, right? Why are we doing it if we don't love it?
So I just wanted to jump on and share that. Hopefully you can tell. I feel it so strongly in my bones. Every voice is valuable. Every voice matters. There is nothing wrong with your voice. And if there is a struggle with your voice, a true health issue, a true pathology, you can get help with that. There's always help out there. You just have to find the right tools, the right person, the right support. I just hope this
inspires you to get out there. Use that voice, go for those opportunities. If you want to do something, do it. If you need more tools, seek out help for that. Friendly reminder, I am here. That's what I strive to do in everything I do. That's a huge part of the Vocal Pro Collective. The reason why I am so big on community being part of it is I want us all to support each other. And the more members get on and share their struggle, whatever it is,
we realize We're all working on something. So if I can be helpful to you in any way, you let me know. I'm gonna put some links down below of just different ways I can support you, but it has nothing to do with me. Go out there, use your voice, get the tools and supports that feel good for you. If something isn't working,
Go find something else. Happy singing. Talk more soon.
