Co-authors Lydia Hart and Stephen King are back on the podcast to talk about their recently published book, ‘Help! I’ve Got a Voice Problem’. A book should belong on every singer and voice user’s bookshelf as well as on display in the voice teacher’s studio; so that everyone has the opportunity to understand how voice problems can occur.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Lydia and Stephen wrote this book for the reader, that’s what’s different about this book. They didn’t want to write another book about voice, they wanted to write all the things that had never been written for all the people out there who are experiencing a voice problem, where those people will have lots of questions.
- From their work with the NHS and the Voice Care Centre Lydia and Stephen discovered that people with voice issues felt a real lack of empathy right from seeing their GP to diagnosis and if they’re lucky a referral to a speech therapist. They’re not seeing a doctor that has an understanding or sympathy for somebody that’s a professional voice user.
- There’s not just the issue with the voice itself that the book addresses, but also the emotions people may be feeling and the fears they have.
- In the medical or diagnostic world, people have started to refer to the body as a machine and not as a living thing. We are not machines and when being treated should be thought of as what we are, people with emotions.
BEST MOMENTS
‘The book is dedicated to everyone without a voice’
‘When framing the journey of voice through a biopsychosocial perspective, all of those questions become clearer’
‘I’m fairly confident that the stuff that we have committed to paper has an almost universal truth about it’
EPISODE RESOURCES
Guest Website:
Social Media:
- @lydiahartvoice
Relevant Links & Mentions:
- Stewart Harris: stewartharrisdesigns.myportfolio.com
- Sing Like Never Before by Justin Stoney with illustrations by Mark Pate: singlikeneverbefore.com
- VoiceWork: Art and Science in Changing Voices by Christina Shewell
- Lydia Flock: flockstars.com
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast – Ep. 32 The Bio-Psycho-Social Model with Stephen King: open.spotify.com/episode/4R13bvilWjwQnd9WOfTiVc?si=f2b9489b9e914317
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast – Ep. 58 Understanding the Speaking Voice with Lydia Hart: open.spotify.com/episode/5q4JLR8tByssABbUeVNk7F?si=cc1553bd79f54f8c
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast: Ep. 88 What can be Learned from Teaching 100,000 lessons with Bob Marks: open.spotify.com/episode/5Nc7qa6VxhYALuamxwgKZB?si=a37c1d39d8a64a24
- Help! I’ve Got a Voice Problem book: https://www.newvoicepublishing.co.uk/books/
- Lydia’s contact email: lydia@voicecarecentre.co.uk
- Stephen’s contact email: stephen@voicecarecentre.co.uk
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Lydia Hart:
Lydia Hart is a specialist Speech and Language Therapist, working in the field of Voice and Upper Airway. She works with people experiencing difficulties with their speaking or singing voice, or other throat symptoms. Lydia is known for being vibrant, caring and sensitive, taking time to hold a holistic space for clients to explore and improve their symptoms. Lydia is also a singer, and voice therapy – which ultimately means working with a person, not a diagnosis – is a true vocation for her.
Alongside her work at Voice Care Centre, Lydia works for the NHS including the Joint Voice Clinic at Wexham Park Hospital, with leading laryngologist Declan Costello. This involves the assessment and management of a range of voice disorders, from muscle tension dysphonia to vocal cord paralysis, and her clinical expertise is constantly expanding.
Lydia is dedicated to developing her knowledge and experience in fields outside of Speech and Language Therapy, in order to provide truly holistic, biopsychosocial care. She is currently undertaking a Diploma in Hypnotherapy with Chrysalis Courses and has trained in manual therapy with Stephen King and most recently Walt Fritz. She is experienced in breath work, including training in Buteyko Breathing Method, and is also undertaking training in Reiki.
Lydia incorporates holistic health and wellness into her own life, through natural movement including rock climbing and running, minimal footwear, meditation, breath work and cold water exposure.
Stephen King:
As a thought leader in the voice health sector, Stephen has been responsible for creating the Voice Care model in the UK and sat at the helm of disseminating the core ideas around Biopsychosocial philosophy. As a Co–Founder of the not-for-profit Vocal Health Education, he has overseen the education of over 2,000 externally accredited Vocal Health First Aiders and several industry-leading Voice Rehabilitation Specialists. As an author, Stephen has co-written Help! I’ve Got A Voice Problem, with further academic articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Within his role as a manual therapy educator, Stephen has delivered masterclasses and seminars across Europe, China and Japan, as well as having written and delivered the UK’s only 9-day intensive vocal massage training qualification. Stephen currently sits as the Director of London’s award-winning, multidisciplinary Voice Care Centre, where he still occasionally gives treatments to people with voice problems seeking biopsychosocial management of their ongoing issues. The Centre for Mental Wellness is Stephen’s latest venture, where he intends to build an online, multidisciplinary, evidence-based and relational therapy platform to help performing artists in times of mental ill health.
Link to podcast presenter’s bios
