Episode 139

Episode #134 - Challenging The Status Quo: An Interview With Maisie Trang

It is no secret that being able to challenge yourself means identifying what are some of the beliefs that may hold you back from identifying what you are meant to become. Whether that source of limiting beliefs come from the activities you engage in, the individuals that you surround yourself with, or something else, being able to challenge yourself to see "beyond the beyond" is really important not only for perspective, but to ensure that progress, in a healthy way, can be made. How do you exactly do that? Today's guest, Maisie Trang, shares her unique profession that has allowed her to not only step outside of her comfort zone, but to also create opportunities that would of otherwise not been experienced if she did not challenge those beliefs. We are all capable of being able to overcome our limited beliefs, but with the right influences, we can become better versions of ourselves by listening to "what is in our hearts" at the right time.

Guest Bio

Maisie is from a quaint little town in Idaho. She spent years conforming to the expectations of others, living life with a small mindset and loads of negative self-talk. However, her journey took a transformative turn when she granted herself the freedom to dream big, break out of the conventional mold, and liberate herself from the need for validation, even from her cultural roots as a first-generation Asian American. She has realized it's okay to have unconventional dreams and diverge from the norm. Her perspective on life has shifted, viewing the world as unfolding "for me, not to me."

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Website: https://maisietrang.com/

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Intro/Outro By: Michael Dugan, Podcast Host: Voice4Chefs

Transcript
Intro:

Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and

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determination all converge into

an amazing, heartfelt experience.

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This is Speaking From The Heart.

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Joshua: Welcome back to episode

number 134 of Speaking From The Heart.

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Today we have Maisie Trang as

our guest, and Maisie is from

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a quaint little town in Idaho.

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She spent years conforming to the

expectations of others, living

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life with a small mindset and

loads of negative self talk.

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However, her journey took a transformative

turn when she granted herself the

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freedom to dream big, break out of

the conventional mold, and liberate

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herself from the need for validation,

even from her cultural roots as a

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first generation Asian American.

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She has realized it's okay

to have unconventional dreams

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and diverge from the norm.

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Her perspective on life has shifted,

viewing the world as unfolding for

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her, not for others, and I have to

say, this is one of the more unique

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interviews that I've had as Maisie will

talk a little bit about her career as

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a voiceover actress, something that we

haven't had yet on the show, but what

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we also haven't had was the ability to

have a conversation with someone that

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is challenging her own beliefs, what

she has been raised to believe, and

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to create her own destiny, despite any

obstacle that might stand in her way.

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Now, I get it.

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Many of you might not believe in this

manifest destiny, or even setting

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your own tone for what you ultimately

can become, but when you listen to

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her story today about how she's been

alright to navigate through some of

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these healthy alternatives that she

has laid out in her life, we can all

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understand that we are all pieces of work.

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In other words, maybe pieces of clay,

if you wanted to have a more visual

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representation, to being shaped

in a variety of different ways.

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We have to celebrate, though, the ability

for us to have that freedom, that choice

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to express ourselves in more ways than

one, and hey, for somebody that has been

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raised on a farm for most of my life,

I can certainly appreciate not only

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growing up in a small rural community,

but also challenging the status quo,

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because status quos don't always mean

that everything that we're doing is right.

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It means that we have to work on

connection, finding ways in which

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we can discipline ourselves to have

bigger and better aspirations, but

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also being able to do things that

we never thought we could ever do.

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But with that, let's go to the episode.

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Alright, we're here with Maisie Trang.

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Maisie!

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Thanks for sharing your

heart with us today.

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Maisie: Thank you, Josh.

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Happy to be here.

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Joshua: Yeah, I'm so happy that you're

here, too, and I have to tell you that

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with your profession, which I just shared

with the audience, you have broken another

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milestone here at Speaking From the Heart.

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I love what you do for part of

your work and I will get into it.

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I don't want to jump the gun, but I

want to start off with this, because

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one of the biggest things that stood

out to me is that your cultural roots,

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first generation Asian American.

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I found that so interesting

to point that out.

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I wonder if you could tell me a little

bit, and my listeners, your story about

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being raised in that sort of environment.

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What did that mean for you?

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What did that create for you?

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What made you, you?

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Maisie: That's a great question,

Josh, so me, growing up in a

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little town in Idaho; it's called

Burley, the little city in Idaho.

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It's a very small town.

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I think it's a population of about

10,000 people or less, might have

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grown since then, but I was born in

Twin Falls, and then I grew up in

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Burley, so they're both small towns,

so I've been in Idaho born and raised,

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and I was pretty much the only Asian.

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We were the only Asian family, pretty

much, in that city, and there was

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maybe one or two other families,

but we were surrounded by other

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people who didn't look like us,

but I got used to that, growing up.

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I didn't really see it as any different

than me being different than them.

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I just tried to belong, I guess-

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Joshua: Mmhmm.

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Maisie: And so growing up, I found

that over time, the Asian culture

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is really known for having high

expectations and discipline and hard

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work and anything, and my parents, they

started a business there in the little

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town, so we became quite popular in

our city, because they were known for

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their restaurant, their food, in town.

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They had to really work hard to survive,

to make our family the way it is, just

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the three of us, and I noticed that

over time, just as I was growing up,

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they never expressed any emotions or

opinions on anything, and they just did

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the work that they had to do to survive,

and I understood that later on, but I

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didn't really understand that back then.

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It's just what they knew, and I respect

that, and I love them dearly of course,

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but for me growing up, it was like a

split; three different worlds in a way.

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Two different worlds at least, right,

so trying to live in the Asian culture

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and following the traditions with my

family, my parents, but then also, trying

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to follow the traditions in school and

learning the way to interact with people

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in school, and hearing the different

languages also, so, it's just different

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behavior, right, and I got confused,

I think, growing up, and then I became

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more familiar with it and just said, "Oh.

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Whatever.", so for me, I was

just often told by people around

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me to keep focusing on school.

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Excel at it.

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Get that good job, but I kept

being told, "Don't dream too big.

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Don't dream too big.

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Just keep it small.

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Don't have opinions on things, and just

do the work that you need to do.", so it

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all had a profound influence on me, and

because of that, I grew up thinking I was

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unworthy, that I wasn't good enough, or

intelligent enough, and I just ask all

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these questions about why I even tried to

talk about my feelings on things, because

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I didn't really know how to do that.

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Joshua: I was going to say that I

think for some people growing up,

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we're often stifled from being able

to share that, and recently I've had

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some guests on the show that I've

talked about the fact that for the male

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population that we usually are taught

at an early age, "Well, you can't cry.

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You can't do this.

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You can't do that.", and you bring up

something though that's very interesting

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and I've had a lot of Asian American

friends, myself, growing up in school.

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They felt almost the same

way as you described.

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It kind of felt like they didn't

belong, maybe they had to conform to

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what their parents had to say, and

you talked a little bit about what

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those feelings are, but how did you

associate with others in school then?

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I mean, I feel like you were

probably still well respected

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and you had some friends, right?

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Maisie: Yeah.

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I mean, as a kid, I didn't

really think too much about it,

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but later on I realized, "Well,

it's almost like anybody else."

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When you're a kid, you just want to

have fun, but then at the same time,

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you want to fit in with the groups of

people and make those friends, and it was

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hard for me in a way and it might have

been because of the cultural background.

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I always wanted to spend time with

my friends and make sure that I was

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liked with the people in my classes,

but I was always told, "Okay, no.

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You can't go to this.

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You can't go to that.

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You have to stay home and study and

do your homework, because that's more

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important than making friends.", and so I

had to re-evaluate pretty much when I was

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a kid and then growing up, telling myself,

"Okay, I guess I don't need friends.

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I'll just do this and get it done and

do what's expected of me, and not have

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opinions about it.", because that's what

I was taught growing up and it's not

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anything bad to say about my family,

really, because that's really what they

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knew, so it's nothing bad about them.

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Joshua: Oh, no.

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You're not saying anything

like that for sure.

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I'm validating you in that, and for

your parents, if they are listening to

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this, trust me, she is not saying that,

and I've worked with a lot of people

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that definitely are saying the complete

opposite and I would know for a fact,

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so Maisie, I validate you with that.

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Maisie: Thanks Josh, but yeah, no, I just

always pretended to be happy, I think.

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As a kid growing up and even into my

college years, just pretending to be

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happy because that was so much easier

than explaining why I wasn't happy, and

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getting all the questions from other

family members and friends, and because

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I was just still recovering from all the

things that I haven't expressed, and so

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it was exhausting to explain why and it

actually felt a little wrong to have to

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express those emotions, or have an opinion

on anything, because I haven't done that.

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I haven't really practiced that, so

it just didn't feel right, but it

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makes sense that my self esteem and

confidence just weren't there, and they

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weren't there for a really long time,

and just not knowing what I wanted, I

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think also, and having to dig deep to

find that, and just trying to succeed

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academically, and having a good career to

survive like everybody else that I knew.

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I just kept working really hard,

because that's what I knew, and I

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got that academic success, but I felt

like deep down there was something

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else involved, but I didn't know

how to manage that until later on.

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Joshua: What would you say was some of

the motivation for you to say, "I'm not

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going to follow these precedents that

have happened.", and what led you to

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realize that inner confidence in yourself,

because it takes a big step for somebody

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to be able to say that, and wanting to

actually put action behind it, because I

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mean, what we're going to get into is the

direct opposite, I would say, of what you

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just described, so what was that catalyst

for you to make you turn that switch on

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and maybe find what was inside of you?

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Maisie: I think I just sat with myself

a lot, because I was alone a lot, and

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there was something inside where I just

kept getting sad all the time, and I

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didn't really like where that was, and

eventually, I got to a low point in my

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life, and I didn't really talk about that.

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I haven't talked about that with other

people, but, in the dark place that

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I was in, I just didn't want to stay

there anymore, and I just really got

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sick of feeling that way, because I

always felt that way, and it's almost

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like the feelings just became numb, and

I think with all of that suppression

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inside of me, it's just like my body

just went, "Let's go!", and it just

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went all out, because it wanted to.

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It was like almost involuntary in

a way, and it just completely just

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released it all, and it felt good.

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It felt messy.

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It felt exhausting, and somewhat of a

relief, but I knew that I needed that.

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It's just been so long that it's

held there, and just to finally

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release that, oh my goodness!

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I can't even explain the feeling

other than just now, but I just wanted

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something to change, and because I

felt as small as possible at that

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point in time, nothing else mattered.

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Nobody's opinion mattered anymore,

and so I decided to do whatever

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felt good to me and to just start

something, so no matter what anyone

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else thought, I just said, "Okay.

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I'm doing whatever, whatever.", so it's

just strange that it took me to go to

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that point to make the moves that I

did, and I would say that that was the

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main point to get me there, to make

that shift, and even though I didn't

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really plan on doing that, it just did.

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Joshua: Sometimes it just comes out

of nowhere and almost hits you like

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a train, or a car, or a bus, which

physically that didn't happen to

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you, so thank goodness it didn't, but

metaphorically, it did because it helped

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you to kind of see that other side of

it, and you talk about the low point.

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I think that many of us get to that low

point in a variety of different ways.

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I know for me it was overworking,

not paying attention to myself,

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not being health conscious.

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I mean, now I work in my coaching

business to help others to kind of

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see what those warning signs, those

triggers are, so that they don't fall

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into those same traps like I did.

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It's really good to have that perspective,

because sometimes some people don't

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know what those signs are, but was

the catalyst what you do, which

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I'm getting into now, which is your

voiceovers and also being an actress?

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I saw this, and I'm like all fascinated,

and for my listeners, I said to Maisie

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before we started that I had no idea

about a lot of these things until I

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started to explore her website, and I

was so fascinated by the work that she's

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done, not only for commercials, but other

things, so was it because of this, like

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that was what you were looking to do?

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Is that your calling?

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Maisie: Yeah, so I don't know if it's

really my calling quite yet, but I can

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say that for some reason, I just needed

something to express myself, and my voice,

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and my thoughts, and this turned out

to be a really good avenue to do that.

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I was able to learn how to control my

emotions, release them more, and express

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myself, and be authentic, so it was

a really great outlet, and honestly,

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Josh, I never planned on that either.

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I just wanted to do something that

was different, and I fell into this

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because I just was searching for, "Okay.

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What are some creative things that

I can do?", and this is something

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that came up, and I gave it a shot.

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I tried it, and I loved it, and I loved

how it made me feel, and so I just kept

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going with that, but yeah, there was

a hesitation at the beginning because

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of all those previous thoughts coming

back again, but then I was like, "It

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doesn't really matter at this point.

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I just want to try it out.", and it's

led me to this point where it feels

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good to grant myself that freedom

to dream big, no matter what anybody

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else says or thinks, and I think

just having this new way of thinking

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really allowed me to just continue

to do that because it feels right.

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It feels good to do this.

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Joshua: Wow.

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I think you don't even realize what you're

saying right now is so powerful because

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it takes great courage and fortitude to

be able to pull yourself out and say,

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"I want to do something that's fun.

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I want to do something that's for me."

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I mean, not many people, Maisie,

nowadays, even across the world, because

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I have international listeners as well.

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Maisie: Yeah.

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Joshua: That are willing to say that, so

you got to give yourself some more credit.

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I think.

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Maisie: Thank you.

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Joshua: Yeah.

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I mean, because I'm totally impressed.

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I'll give you an example of why I'm

impressed, and for my listeners, if you

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go to Maisie's website, you'll see exactly

what I'm talking about, but I played

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your commercial demo reel before I got on

tonight, listening to this, and I loved

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all the variety of different products,

all the different things that you pitched.

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Your voice is so calming.

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I always felt like for three

minutes or whatever how long it

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was- no, it wasn't three minutes.

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The poem was three minutes, but

the commercial demo reel that

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you have for a little over a

minute made me feel like, "Wow.

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This lady is so talented and I

don't even know she recognized it."

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Now I'm hearing your story, so I have

to ask you this because for many people,

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maybe just to set the groundwork for this

conversation, many people probably don't

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even know what a voiceover is in terms

of what that falls into the commercial

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world, let alone how you even get into

it, so I'm wondering if, just from your

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perspective, can you share a little

bit about, first off, how you got into

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this, and then secondly, how you got

some of the people that you got to work

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with on some of these commercials as

voiceovers, how did you achieve those?

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Maisie: Yeah, so, with voiceover,

I first took a webinar, I believe;

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local webinar that was available, and

I remember thinking to myself, "Wow!

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Am I really going to do this?", and I

said to myself, "Well, it's not going

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to hurt to just learn something.", so

I enrolled in that class, that webinar,

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and it allowed to give an introduction

to the profession and the industry, and

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then they allowed like a free evaluation

on your voice and performance with

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that webinar, so I did that, and they

told me that I actually passed that

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evaluation, and I think just from that

evaluation experience, it basically

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encouraged me and told me, "Okay.

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Well maybe this is a possibility for

me to continue on.", so it started

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from there, and then after that, I

wanted to know more information, right?

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I just kept going.

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It's like I started it and now I'm

like, "Oh, I want to keep finding

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the pieces to make this work now.",

but I wanted to do it the right way.

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I wanted to make sure that I'm doing

this correctly, because I think

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every industry, you can always learn

mistakes from other people, and just

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learning how to do it the correct way.

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Joshua: Yes.

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Maisie: So after that, I just sought

out other people online, and I found

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out that there was someone else who

was a pharmacist, which I relate to,

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because I'm a pharmacist by training,

so I talked with her and she did

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voiceovers as well, and that inspired

me to continue that way too, so-

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Joshua: My mouth is dropping open here.

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A pharmacist group

essentially doing voiceovers.

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This blows my mind.

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Keep going.

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I love this.

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Maisie: I know.

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It blew my mind too.

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I was like, "Wow!

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There is somebody else out there."

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Joshua: Yeah.

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Maisie: And so we talked, and she

encouraged me to try it out, and so

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I did, and basically took off from

there, so I joined different groups.

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I went to a conference that

was specifically for voiceover,

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but I wasn't used to that.

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I was used to more pharmacy, pharmacist,

professional conferences, and going to

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this voiceover conference was totally

different for me, and networking with

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people that way in this kind of creative

space, it just felt really good.

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It felt fun.

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It felt just really nice to know

other people in the industry who

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are really kind in the voiceover

community, and I took lessons.

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I was coached, trained, and still right

now I'm still enrolled in the different

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groups, and I'm going to another voiceover

conference here coming up, so that, and

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just learning from the different experts

in the field, and eventually, you kind

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of get to know one another, because

we're a pretty small group, even though

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there's thousands among thousands of voice

actors, but for some reason, it still

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feels like a really small community, in

a way, and we're really supportive of

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each other, and if we wanted to learn

more, there's always those different

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groups on social media that have industry

experts in those and provide a lot of

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the guidance and direction that's helpful

for newcomers who want to learn more.

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Joshua: It's so cool to

just see such a small group.

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I love- you doing- sorry.

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For our listeners, we just

did a little happy dance.

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It's like, "Yeah.

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I'm doing what I'm doing.", and those

are the happy dances that I like

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seeing from some of my clients when

they see that success, like, "I am

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doing it now.", but you have a lot

of different things underneath your

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belt with what you've done so far.

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I've seen therapy voiceovers

you've done for some commercials.

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I've seen some for healthcare providers.

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I was listening to Panda Express.

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I've listened to one of those.

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You have reached all kinds of different

types of gambits with it, and I have

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to ask, because I think this is awesome

question for me, and like I said, you're

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my very first person on the show to

have that is done voiceover acting.

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What would you say was your favorite

one to do thus far out of your huge

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portfolio that I'm sure you have?

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I know, that's a tough question.

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Maisie: It is a tough question.

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Honestly.

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I don't have a single favorite one,

but I can say that I really, really

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enjoyed the mental health space

service that I did; the project, mental

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health project that I did with them.

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It just felt good to do that, to help

tell the story, to help give something

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meaningful, to send that message to

people that it's okay to have mental

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health services and to talk about that.

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:

It just felt really,

really good and meaningful.

329

:

Joshua: What would you say is one

of the reasons why you continue to

330

:

build upon your confidence in doing

voiceovers, because let's face it.

331

:

Let's integrate the conversation

we had earlier into this.

332

:

You had reached a low point.

333

:

You wanted to figure out what

those things are in your life.

334

:

That's what you were saying

in terms of the expectations.

335

:

Do you set yourself high

expectations with this now, or

336

:

do you try to have fun with it?

337

:

Maisie: You know, I

thought about this before.

338

:

I'm like, "Am I going back to

what I was before in a way, just

339

:

in a different version of it?"

340

:

I think I do set myself high

expectations, but I think it's in

341

:

a more healthy way than before.

342

:

I think that's because I'm more in

tune with my authentic self, and

343

:

by doing that it feels much better.

344

:

It feels right, and I think for anybody

listening, if you've ever experienced that

345

:

before, you'll know that it's the right

thing for you when you're doing something

346

:

that aligns with your spirit and yourself,

and even though it's setting high

347

:

expectations for you, you know it's okay,

because it's not in a very toxic way.

348

:

It's in a very supportive, growth,

inspiring type of way, and I think

349

:

that's what makes it feel right.

350

:

Joshua: Having that feeling of what

is right, and sometimes knowing what

351

:

is wrong, sometimes we put that shade,

those rose colored glasses on, so that

352

:

we don't see what's wrong, and I will say

to you, even at my age, which I'm over

353

:

37 now, I have still been dealing with

a lot of those sort of expectations and

354

:

trying to pull those down, and I think

that for all of us, we're always going

355

:

through that exercise, and you saying

what you're saying, it makes sense to

356

:

me that for all these kinds of people

that we have in our lives coming in and

357

:

coming out, maybe they have to be able to

work really hard to get what they need.

358

:

For others, it might just come easy to

them, and I think you're in this path of

359

:

figuring out what is coming easy to you

so that you can enjoy what's fulfilling,

360

:

so with that said, you are essentially,

as you said in your bio, you're trying to

361

:

break that mold; that conventional mold.

362

:

Do you think you're doing that?

363

:

I mean, do you think that you're honestly,

earnestly doing that, and if so, do you

364

:

think there's a lot more work that you

have to do to continue breaking that

365

:

mold, because yeah, it's one thing to

break it, but you could be unintentionally

366

:

re-shaping it into a completely

different shape that you might be setting

367

:

yourself up, so what's your safeguard?

368

:

Maisie: That's a good, good point.

369

:

It's probably more of like

reshaping it in a way.

370

:

I think there's, of course, plenty of

work to do to keep on reshaping it,

371

:

because of the work that I'm in now,

doing acting and voice acting and

372

:

trying to be a pharmacist as well,

and doing my day job and everything,

373

:

there's still a lot of misconceptions

or a lot of thoughts that come to mind.

374

:

When other people, when I try to explain

it, that it's just not a typical thing

375

:

for an Asian person to do, or a pharmacist

to do, and that's one of the ways I feel

376

:

like, when I'm working on these kinds

of projects, it helps me know that I'm

377

:

supporting and influencing that change,

and reshaping it, and educating people,

378

:

that you can be more than a pharmacist.

379

:

You can be more than an artist.

380

:

You can be many things.

381

:

Sometimes you may be better at one thing

at a given moment, but you can be all the

382

:

things, just maybe not at the same time.

383

:

You'll probably be working on one

thing and enhancing that at a given

384

:

moment, but you can also be an actor,

or a voice actor, or some other

385

:

type of artist, and that's okay.

386

:

That's okay, but I think a lot of

us are afraid to pursue those other

387

:

passions that we might have, because

of what other people think, and that's

388

:

stopping us from doing anything.

389

:

At least that's the way

it was for me before.

390

:

Joshua: This is a really

important question.

391

:

Are you getting in your own way now?

392

:

Maisie: Hmm.

393

:

I think, right now, not

as much Not as much now.

394

:

Before?

395

:

Yes, growing up.

396

:

In college, I just told myself to

stay low, stay small, don't try

397

:

anything else, just get that good job,

succeed, survive, and have the family.

398

:

Be proud, but, now, not as much.

399

:

Not in that same way, at least.

400

:

Right now what's really getting

in the way is having enough time

401

:

to do everything, but, yeah.

402

:

Joshua: Always the age old question

for even business owners for sure.

403

:

Where am I going to do with the

finite time I have every day?

404

:

Yeah.

405

:

Maisie: Yeah.

406

:

Yeah, but no, I think

it's a special thing too.

407

:

For me I really love doing this

because I found that I love creating

408

:

projects, and telling the stories

that need to be told, and having

409

:

people think in a different way.

410

:

It just feels really meaningful to me

to work on these kinds of projects,

411

:

knowing that I helped create those,

and that could potentially impact other

412

:

people to think in a different way.

413

:

Joshua: Potentially?

414

:

There has to be hundreds of thousands

of people that listen to your voice,

415

:

especially being on commercials.

416

:

You got to be kidding me, Maisie.

417

:

You are so still

underselling yourself here.

418

:

I'm like sitting here and

I'm thinking, "My gosh.

419

:

I wish I had some of her talents

because she has such a calm, soothing

420

:

voice and I'm like, big ruff and gruff

over here, a big masculine voice."

421

:

Maisie: But we need that too,

Josh, so you've got that.

422

:

Joshua: Okay.

423

:

Well good.

424

:

Can I be hired as a voice actor then?

425

:

What do you think?

426

:

Maisie: You probably could.

427

:

Yes.

428

:

Joshua: Yes.

429

:

Listeners.

430

:

Adios.

431

:

I will no longer be doing any episodes

after tonight because of Maisie.

432

:

She has given me the recommendation,

the green light to keep moving forward.

433

:

Maisie: That's right.

434

:

Triple green lights.

435

:

Joshua: See?

436

:

Now I'm doing my happy dance over here

too, so- Maisie, we're almost out

437

:

of time, but I want to ask you this

final question, and I've been really

438

:

enlightened by this conversation.

439

:

I got to tell you.

440

:

Like a quaint little town in Idaho

had this wonderful lady that was

441

:

being able to bless me on the show

today, and share a good piece of

442

:

her story and what you have done.

443

:

What's ahead for you?

444

:

What do you see as that big picture

down the road, that not only would

445

:

I like you to answer what it means

for you, but what would it mean

446

:

for my listeners listening too?

447

:

Meaning, what would you give

them as advice for being able

448

:

to dream big, and as you put it,

shift your perspective on life?

449

:

Maisie: Right.

450

:

For me, I think what's ahead is to

keep on being my authentic self, and at

451

:

least trying to maybe not be at the 100

percent perfection, authenticity mode,

452

:

whatever that may be, wherever that may

be, but it's more of like encouraging

453

:

others to embrace and celebrate the

various aspects of their identity

454

:

and their life, because you can have

multifaceted things that you enjoy.

455

:

Everyone has unique and diverse aspects

to their personalities and to their

456

:

desires, and the ways that they want

to express that, so, just acknowledging

457

:

that, and integrating all of that,

all your feelings, and being okay,

458

:

and celebrating that about yourself.

459

:

I think that's something important

for us to realize, and I really wish

460

:

everyone listening to really reflect on

that and embracing that for yourself.

461

:

Joshua: Embracing that is always

a big part of that process.

462

:

Being able to feel like

you're in control of it.

463

:

Being able to say, "Yes!

464

:

I have this feeling.

465

:

I'm going to accept it.", and you

said something that I even say to my

466

:

clients, so you make me feel validated

that you don't have to be 100 percent

467

:

all the time, so for my active

clients right now listening to this.

468

:

Listen to her.

469

:

She's saying something I've been telling

you, and that's what's really important.

470

:

Maisie: Yeah, it sounds easy sometimes

when we're saying it, and I understand

471

:

it can be hard to do, and I think one

of the important things we can do is

472

:

really surrounding yourself with people

that support you and serve you, saying

473

:

yes to things that serve you, saying no

to things that don't, so that it leaves

474

:

space for the things that do serve you.

475

:

Joshua: So true.

476

:

Just so true, and I think that if we

don't surround ourselves with that, that's

477

:

what sometimes creates the unfavorable

Impressions, the low points in our life.

478

:

Maisie, I love that you've

transformed yourself.

479

:

I want to give you the last few minutes as

a result of doing that to pitch yourself.

480

:

I would love for you to tell my listeners,

how can they get in contact with you?

481

:

If they're interested in having a

project, maybe a voiceover done with you.

482

:

You have a nice calming voice

throughout this half hour.

483

:

I feel a little bit more sleepier

than I did when I started.

484

:

Maisie: No, don't fall asleep.

485

:

Joshua: Oh no.

486

:

Don't worry.

487

:

We'll get it through the rest of this.

488

:

I'm wondering if you could let them know

how they can get in contact with you,

489

:

but I'm going to give you the last few

minutes, go ahead and pitch yourself.

490

:

Maisie: Okay, thank you, Josh.

491

:

If you'd like to work with

me as an actor or a voiceover

492

:

actor, you can go to my website.

493

:

It's maisietrang.com, so it's M A I S I

E T R A N G.com, and all of my contact

494

:

information and demos and samples are

available there, and you'll also see

495

:

that I can do commercials, meditations,

e-learning tutorials, different narration

496

:

pieces, including medical narration,

and explaining different products, or

497

:

even podcasts, and I'm also available

on Facebook @MaisieTrang, and then

498

:

X, or Twitter, @MaisieTrang, and then

Instagram @Maisie.Trang, and then I

499

:

guess a final piece, I never mentioned

this, but I'm also trying to teach a

500

:

computer basics program because I do some

technology work at work, so I have that

501

:

available, and if you'd like to enroll

in a computer basics program at all,

502

:

I have a free intro call that you can

talk with me more about what you need

503

:

help with, and you can just email me at

maisietrang@gmail.com and we can talk from

504

:

there and talk over the phone after that.

505

:

Joshua: I'll put all that information

in the episode notes in case anybody

506

:

wants to check out and reach out

to Maisie, but I have to say.

507

:

Look, and I don't normally do this

and I feel like I almost lecture when

508

:

I do this, but you're one of these

guests that I just have to give you a

509

:

quick little pep talk before we wrap

up, so I hope your accepting of this,

510

:

and you can yell at me later if you

don't like it, but here's the thing.

511

:

You grew up in a community

almost like I did.

512

:

I grew up in a small town

called Oley, O L E Y.

513

:

It's in Pennsylvania.

514

:

It's this quaint little town, about

hour away from Philadelphia because we

515

:

were talking about how far away I was

from other locations when we started,

516

:

but I also had this feeling that I was

just not doing what I needed to do in

517

:

life, and I put that off- get ready-

for over 30 some years, until I finally

518

:

realized I needed to open a business

and help others because I was not doing

519

:

what I needed to do in life, so I'm

helping people figure out what the junk

520

:

is in their life and getting it fixed.

521

:

I'm helping people with their speaking.

522

:

I'm helping people get better jobs

with professional development.

523

:

I do all kinds of things, and I

even trying to break into the public

524

:

speaking realm by being a professional

speaker, and it isn't that I'm trying.

525

:

I am, so I want you from now on

today say, "I am a voice actor.

526

:

I am a voiceover artist.

527

:

I am the best in the

industry.", and I'll tell you.

528

:

You don't have to go around and tell

people that, but if that's your daily

529

:

affirmation getting up, Maisie, I swear to

you, I swear that you will do so much good

530

:

work like you're doing already because

you are doing some awesome work and I

531

:

would love that we talk at some point

down the road and you tell me that, "Yes!

532

:

I broken into this.

533

:

I'm no longer doing pharmacy work.

534

:

I'm doing this for big time corporate

entities with their commercials.",

535

:

so make me that promise that

next time we talk, you're going

536

:

to keep believing in yourself.

537

:

Okay.

538

:

Maisie: Oh yeah.

539

:

Thank you.

540

:

Thank you for that pep talk.

541

:

Yeah, no, I love that.

542

:

I love pep talks.

543

:

Yes, of course.

544

:

I try to practice different

affirmations a day.

545

:

I haven't done that.

546

:

I am a voiceover, like voiceover actor,

but I have done, "I am grateful today."

547

:

Joshua: Well, you should be grateful too.

548

:

Yes.

549

:

Maisie: Yeah, but yeah, that's great.

550

:

Thank you.

551

:

Joshua: Yes, absolutely, and for

all those reasons, and for you

552

:

continuing on your journey, thanks

for being on Speaking From the Heart.

553

:

It was really a joy and a privilege to

have not only my very first voiceover

554

:

artist on the show, but to know

somebody with your deep heart and

555

:

your deep story, you definitely were

your authentic self, so thank you.

556

:

Maisie: I appreciate that.

557

:

Thank you so much, Josh.

558

:

Joshua: I want to thank Maisie so

much for being part of the show.

559

:

She shows to me, just like we had

with other guests, the importance

560

:

of being able to have that small

town living feeling, but also

561

:

being able to have big aspirations.

562

:

It's almost coming out of a movie

directly, if you think about Maisie's

563

:

story, in that sometimes we have a lot

of different setbacks, a lot of different

564

:

people that come into our lives, influence

us, but yet at the same time, they

565

:

have all kinds of different problems,

situations, and other aspects that might

566

:

throw a wrench into the overall plans that

we have for our lives, but I think that

567

:

we also have great role models when it

comes to not only working with the variety

568

:

of different people that surround us,

but it allows us to be more disciplined.

569

:

The expectations that we have for

each other can be measured in ways

570

:

that sometimes we don't even think

about, but at the same time, maybe

571

:

those limits, those things that we

have as some of the lowest points of

572

:

our lives, might not be what we want

to do, and that's when we resist.

573

:

We often fight back because we

don't want to live up to those

574

:

expectations that we are given.

575

:

In other words, do you do that work that

you have to do in order to survive, to

576

:

connect, to follow tradition, or, are

you doing the work that allows you to

577

:

live free, to have aspirations and dreams

that you never thought possible, and

578

:

it allows you to think outside the box?

579

:

Many guests that we've had on the show

have even talked about the importance

580

:

of focusing, creating that value in our

lives, just so that we can influence

581

:

not only the positivity, but also the

variety of different things that we

582

:

have in store for our lives, if we're

just willing to connect with what those

583

:

opportunities are, instead of just

focusing on what is in front of us.

584

:

It means being proactive.

585

:

It means thinking about how we can have

a voice in this ever changing world

586

:

to change our perspectives, but even

with trying to shake, rattle, and roll

587

:

through our lives, how do we fit in?

588

:

What makes it really hard for us to be

liked, especially when we're challenging

589

:

that status quo, because let's face it.

590

:

If we do those things,

we might not be liked.

591

:

We might not be appreciated, and

truthfully, we might not even be able to

592

:

work through some of the problems, some

of the situations, or even achieve some of

593

:

the outcomes that we need to have in order

to just survive, so how do we do that?

594

:

Is it really hard to be able to step

outside of our comfort zone to be

595

:

liked, to be enjoyed, especially with

all the things that we have going on?

596

:

Well, if you think about it, the

rules, the breakthroughs, the things

597

:

that we're trying to do in our lives

to support one another, whether it's

598

:

friends, family, or something else, it

means that we have to understand that

599

:

just fitting in might not always be

the solution, so what's that catalyst?

600

:

Let's get to the heart of

really what this is all about.

601

:

How do we create that catalyst so that

we can have the things that we want

602

:

to have in our lives be achievable?

603

:

How can we do that to be able to

achieve some of the best dreams,

604

:

some of the best versions that we

have yet to unlock in our life?

605

:

I think that we need to understand

that we need to express ourself

606

:

and control our emotions in ways in

which we can not only achieve those

607

:

successes, but also understand that not

everybody's going to see our viewpoint.

608

:

Maisie shared so much about what those

differing viewpoints are, and even creates

609

:

that context about how we can be more

talented, more invaluable, by just simply

610

:

understanding what our differences are by

learning and leaning into what might be

611

:

our gifts, but the best way that we could

ever do what we ultimately want to do in

612

:

our lives means that we have to be able

to jump into any career that we want to.

613

:

We have to be mentored.

614

:

We have to learn from others, because

we certainly don't want to jump

615

:

into any sort of field, whether it's

being a nuclear scientist, a rocket

616

:

scientist, maybe even a blinker

scientist, which, yes, I'm making a

617

:

joke about headlights and blinker fluid.

618

:

I think that we all have to

understand that if any of those

619

:

sort of occupations, make believe

or not, we have to be able to learn.

620

:

We have to be able to be mentored in ways

in which we can jump into those careers

621

:

and be successful at the same time, but

that also means that we can't be afraid

622

:

of what we are ultimately able to become.

623

:

Look at my life.

624

:

Look at all the things that I've

been able to achieve simply by

625

:

stepping outside my comfort zone.

626

:

Does it mean that I have it all together?

627

:

The answer is no.

628

:

I still have to work through a variety

of different situations on a daily basis,

629

:

and we have to be able to work through

those problems by the knowledge, skills,

630

:

and abilities that we've talked about

on many episodes that allows us to feel

631

:

empowered, but even with jumping into

it, when people might be looking at

632

:

you strangely, especially because you

are doing something that is outside the

633

:

comfort zone, it's okay to still have fun.

634

:

It's okay to have healthy avenues in

your life that allow you to not only

635

:

propel yourself to that next level, but

we are also able to create some of those

636

:

opportunities that maybe are still being

shaped, because even as I mentioned at

637

:

the beginning of this episode, it's still

okay to be a piece of work, being able

638

:

to be shaped into whatever that final

product will be, but it means that we need

639

:

to continue to express the things that

we really enjoy and not suppress them.

640

:

Maisie shared even some of those

important lessons to us as to why we

641

:

should never hold ourselves back from

our unlimited potential, especially if

642

:

we had something that we always wanted

to pursue, even voice acting for that

643

:

matter, doing voiceovers for commercials.

644

:

Who would have ever thought in a million

years that this young lady would be

645

:

able to achieve so much, with not only

the things that she's learned growing

646

:

up, but to reinvent herself, despite

what the culture and society might have

647

:

told her otherwise, and that's exactly

why you shouldn't put yourself down.

648

:

You shouldn't say no to opportunities that

might come up, but it's also understanding

649

:

that there is a balance, and despite

what anybody might tell you, even if that

650

:

is the buzzphrase of the year to have a

work life balance, it's still very true

651

:

that you should try to strive to it as

much as you possibly can, but also not

652

:

indulging too much in one particular

form or another, though the question then

653

:

becomes: are you going to stay low, not

even acknowledge some of the opportunities

654

:

that you have, or are you going to

keep on putting your head down, always

655

:

ignoring what might be around you, because

society and culture told you otherwise?

656

:

We have to celebrate the various

aspects of our lives and accept

657

:

the feelings that are tied to it.

658

:

It's okay to be scared and

fearful, especially if you're

659

:

jumping into something brand new.

660

:

It's not easy sometimes being a business

owner, especially in this tumultuous

661

:

climate that we're in right now, both

economically and financially, seeing

662

:

businesses close all around me and

cutting back, but I know that the

663

:

heart and passion that I have deep

inside of me, wanting to keep this

664

:

adventure going for myself, and working

through all the variety of different

665

:

viewpoints that might come my way,

really empower me and want to empower

666

:

my clients to become the best versions

of themselves, but it means that I have

667

:

to surround myself with people that are

continuously working on themselves, and

668

:

continuously challenging the status quo.

669

:

Now, I could easily go into a tirade

about all the different things that might

670

:

be holding us back as a society, whether

that is the social, the cultural, the

671

:

different expectations that are put upon

each and every one of us, whether it's

672

:

through friends, family, jobs, all kinds

of other aspects, but the truth of the

673

:

matter is, is that if we're ever going

to grow individually, we have to, at some

674

:

point, listen to what's inside of us.

675

:

How we fit in does not always

mean that we have to fit in.

676

:

Let me say that again.

677

:

How we fit in doesn't always matter.

678

:

Period, because even if we did try to

fit in, does it mean that we're actually

679

:

living that best version of ourselves?

680

:

If we're restricting ourselves with just

rules and different avenues where we have

681

:

to follow, and that's not really what

we want to follow in the first place,

682

:

how are we ever going to create change?

683

:

How are we going to be able to become

those talented and valuable individuals

684

:

that can jump into any career or any

sort of adventure that we ever want to?

685

:

I started listening to this

podcast that follows a couple

686

:

that are traveling digital nomads.

687

:

I would love to have Austin and Monica

on the show at some point in which

688

:

they talk about how they started this

adventure, but I'm in awe and wonder of

689

:

how they've been able to create value

for themselves by simply diffusing what

690

:

society and culture says about them.

691

:

They are shaping the clay that allows

them to become not only more valuable,

692

:

but allows them to become more

acknowledged, and more attuned, to

693

:

what they have as undeniable freedoms.

694

:

Undeniable opportunities to go around

the world and live a life where they can

695

:

still support themselves, but also do

things that normal 20, 30, or even 40

696

:

year olds would never dream possible,

but even if you're in your 60s, 70s, and

697

:

80s, even if you believe in a completely

different work ethic, know that it's

698

:

not about just keeping your head down.

699

:

Know it isn't just about

trying to think differently.

700

:

It means that we have to be mentored.

701

:

We have to learn to understand

that we need to create a culture

702

:

that not only supports one another,

but also supports ourselves.

703

:

I believe Maisie's story today really

exemplifies the fact that we have to

704

:

not only lean into our traditions,

but how we can use those traditions

705

:

to our advantage to create things

that we never, ever thought possible.

706

:

If we're able to do that, and if we're

able to express ourselves in ways in

707

:

which we would never be able to express

ourselves before, if we're able to delimit

708

:

ourselves to create the opportunities that

we have, especially now and in the future.

709

:

I think we're not going to stay low.

710

:

I think that we're not

going to put our head down.

711

:

I think we're going to change our

healthy avenues into even more exciting

712

:

adventures, because even if we're

traveling all across the world or if

713

:

we're in that small little cubicle in

a office that we are always looking

714

:

to see what's ahead of us, just know

that each of us have an entitlement,

715

:

an empowerment if you will, to create

the best versions of ourselves by

716

:

simply speaking out loud, and affirming

ourselves that anything is possible.

717

:

Thanks for listening to episode

number 134 of Speaking From The

718

:

Heart, and I look forward to

hearing from your heart, very soon.

719

:

Outro: Thanks for listening.

720

:

For more information about our podcast

and future shows, search for Speaking From

721

:

The Heart to subscribe and be notified

wherever you listen to your podcasts.

722

:

Visit us at www.yourspeakingvoice.biz

for more information about potential

723

:

services that can help you create

the best version of yourself.

724

:

See you next time.

About the Podcast

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Speaking From The Heart
Your Speaking Voice LLC's Business Podcast

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About your host

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Joshua Smith

Joshua D. Smith is the Owner and Founder of Your Speaking Voice, a life coaching, business coaching, and public speaking company based in Carlisle, PA. Serving clients across the world, Joshua got his start in personal/professional development and public speaking in April of 2012 through his extensive involvement in an educational non-profit organization called Toastmasters International.

Toastmasters International operates clubs both domestically and internationally that focus on teaching leadership, development, and public speaking skills. Joshua quickly excelled in Toastmasters International and found that he had a passion for leadership and helping others find their confidence and their true "speaking voice". Joshua has held all club officer roles and most District level positions in Toastmasters International and belongs to numerous clubs throughout the organization. Joshua has also been recognized as two-time Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest award the organization bestows for achievement in leadership and communication.

Outside of his community involvement, education is something that Joshua has always taken great pride in. His academic achievements include a number of degrees from Alvernia and Shippensburg University. He earned a Bachelor's degree in political science and communications from Alvernia in 2009, a masters of business administration from Alvernia in 2010, and later a masters in public administration from Shippensburg in 2014.

In the professional world, Joshua has held multiple positions with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for over 14 years which includes a variety of data analytics, procurement, budgeting, business process improvement (IT and non-IT), legal compliance, and working with the blind. He has applied his public speaking and development skills in the professional world to tackle numerous public speaking engagements and presentations from all levels of the organization, including executive management.

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