Vulnerability Is Power
“I’LL TALK ABOUT ANYTHING BUT THAT!”
I said this for about the first 17 years of being a vocal coach. I was so ashamed and didn’t want anyone to know, so I kept it a secret. I just knew it would make people think less of me, and I was convinced if they thought less of me, they wouldn’t trust me or want to work with me.
Over the years, I’ve heard other coaches say similar things – that sharing their shameful secret was way too risky because it would show weakness, and they believed they had to show strength to gain a following.
But now that my secret’s been out for a few years, I can say with certainty that opening up about this kind of vulnerability is an example of POWER, not weakness. Not only that, but it allows those we are trying to attract to see us as real people rather than as some kind of perfect robot, because it allows them to identify with us.
When you’re in the spotlight all the time, it’s easy for others to see you as someone who never has bad things happen to them, so when you break down the walls and smash the pedestals by opening up about times when things weren’t all perfect and amazing, your audience sees your humanity and responds by paying greater attention to what you’re saying.
This is true no matter what kind of audience you are in front of and no matter what kind of presenting or influencing you are doing. Humans crave connection, so any opportunity to see themselves in the story you are sharing allows them to feel part of your story, which in turn allows them to want to be part of the outcome – which many times is in the offer you have to make to them.
When I finally opened up about how I lost my voice as the lead singer and had to break my contract because I couldn’t continue to perform, which cost me a bunch of money (but could’ve cost me my entire career if I’d tried to stick it out like they expected), singers didn’t run from me, they ran TOWARD ME. Then when they learned how I turned that terrible situation into an opportunity to learn how to heal myself and how to make sure it never happened to me again (it hasn’t), they wanted IN. And for a good reason – they wanted to learn from someone who’s been there.
It also helped them understand (and follow my example) why I’m so passionately adamant about vocal health – they knew I wasn’t just saying this stuff to be bossy, but because I’ve lived it and want to keep them from having to go through what I experienced.
THAT’S POWER.
I can sing higher again and I’m more confident in my belting abilities, as well as my breath support!
I believe you can always improve your craft, so for the past few years I’ve been working with internationally acclaimed vocal teacher Katti Power.
I’m singing songs I did not think I would ever be able to sing!
I use to think my voice just couldn’t sing certain notes in certain ways, but that is completely false! I wish I had known these techniques back when I was struggling and performing every day. And knowing how to sing in my uncomfortable areas without hurting my voice is amazing. I feel like I could sing almost anything now!!
Now that I have had that hour session I know how to overcome my straining and relax my throat when singing up high. The way Katti teaches, the illustrations she gives, and the exercises she uses help me to understand in a way I’d never thought about before…Knowing how quickly she fixed my problem, I feel extremely confident that she would be able to help anyone else…
[Katti] is the best singing coach I've ever had. I love working with her because she's so supportive, she has such a great ear, and she can get to the heart of any of my problems right away. She's positive, very knowledgeable, and most of all - one of the biggest reasons I would highly recommend Katti is that she's a great human being.
Thank you, Katti. I’ve learned so much from you; no words can express my gratitude!
I feel like I finally learned the secret of singing I’ve been looking for all my life! I always felt like my teachers didn’t quite “get” my voice and there was something either I really wasn’t getting or they really were not teaching. Now I know what it is! Thank you Katti!!
Katti is BRILLIANT!!! I never thought I would be able to belt, but I was definitely proven wrong! Thanks to my ONE LESSON with Katti I have just landed a role in “Shout! The Mod Musical” and will be healthily belting my face off!
No joke, Katti Power is a complete and utter bad ass. She’ll turn you into one as well if you give her the chance.
Katti is an unforgettable voice instructor. I came to Katti when I was 18 years old because I wanted to improve my musical theatre sound. I had absolutely no clue how to belt before beginning [Unlimited Vocal Health™] and when I graduated from Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City four years later, I was the top belter in my class. The more lessons I took the more my confidence as a singer and an all around performer grew.
Katti Power is bar-none, hands-down, one of the very best voice teachers out there. I’ve been singing for 23 years, and have had several teachers over the years, from NYC to LA. Many of my teachers have been good, but I learned more in one lesson with Katti than I did several months with other teachers.
I’m most excited to know the difference between legit and belt voice and practice choosing how to sing and speak intentionally in a way that is healthiest for me.
I had the honor of working with Katti right before the Talent Quest National Competition. In only a few short lessons she had me miles above where I started out. Her methods help you stretch your range while keeping your vocal health. She continuously helped me get better each time we met.
Thank you so much for believing in me and for helping me become who I am today… You changed my life Katti.
Katti…helped me realize that my voice will always be there, and I just need to trust that it knows what to do. The biggest change was our work with how forward my belt is going. I had learned how to do it before, but something wasn’t clicking for me to keep it forward. Katti listened to my fear about having true power in my voice and allowed me to have a safe place to start the work to let myself be heard. I ended up belting a note I had tried to… belt for 10 years!
I’m really not sure where I would be without you. You have given me such confidence in so many areas and have given me the skills to take my performing to the next level.
I’m so excited – I got the role I told you I was called back for (the initial audition consisted of a monologue and my singing “That’s Rich,” which I had worked with you in my VIP session)! Thank you so much, Katti, for your training! I’m thrilled, and will continue to make the efforts to sing without fear and apply the proper technique so I can sing without getting fatigued.