I have been dreaming about teaching acting for some reason.  I taught acting for about 30 years and thought I had had my fill of it.  But last week, in a dream, I seemed to be auditioning to teach acting. Strange!  Some rather  arrogant acting teachers were complaining how hard it is to train beginning actors. […]

Presence happens when you are so deeply relaxed into yourself and accepting of yourself that you feel free to be genuine.  The secret to presence is to be fully grounded in your body so that you have a full-body sense of awareness.  When you are grounded and present, you experience sensation and awareness in every […]

 Last week the Houston Chronicle published an article by Greg Morago called Get Ready for Judge Giada : Top contestants are able to connect with camera. Giada De Laurentiis is a Food Network star who is about to become a judge for the show Food Network Star.  Giving some sage advice for anyone who wants […]

This weekend I attended a workshop on Sound, Color & Vibration taught by Elias Demohan and Rafael Demohan.  Elias has been the most significant spiritual teacher in my life.  I have not seen him for many years as he now lives in Calgary, Canada.  The workshop was for me mostly a review of methods for […]

On May 1, 1969, Mr. Rogers spoke to the US Senate Subcommittee on Communications to ask them to grant funding for the newly created PBS after President Nixon attempted to slash their funds in half.  Watch a video of his speech. Saying “I’d just like to talk about it if it’s alright,” Mr. Rogers asked […]

Much has been said about Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and how he appears when speaking in public.  As recently as June this year, he sweated profusely while being interviewed.  But last Sunday he seemed calm, comfortable and in command of himself on CBS 60 Minutes.  His passion is palpable in this interview.  Some have speculated that he […]

University of Houston professor,  Dr. Brene Brown debutes The Gifts of Imperfection: Living with Courage, Compassion & Connection on Houstons PBS TV station Channel 8 Monday night November 29th at 7 and 8:30 PM. I hope that Dr. Brown will do for authenticity what Dr. John Bradshaw  did for family systems theory when he aired his PBS programs.  He […]

“Has anyone ever been in prison?” These were the words that opened W Mitchell’s talk to NSA Houston Chapter in September 2010.  Words spoken quietly in a voice vibrating from deep within his chest.  Words not spoken immediately. W Mitchell wheeled himself to the center of the staging area, sat deeply into his wheelchair and […]

I found a wonderful blogpost by Kathy  Reiffenstein at Professionally Speaking Blog that I simply must share with you!  Kathy draws some valuable lessons on speaking from the Broadway production of A Little Night Music. So much of my skill as a speaker and speaking teacher comes from my training as an actress.  So it […]

 A wonderful new client gave voice to her goal of expressing more warmth.  I think this is a great goal for everyone! Warmth is an emotion, so it can’t be simply acted out.  You can’t behave like you are warm because others will sense you lack of real warmth. You can’t DO warmth, you must […]